When Mark Zuckerberg almost broke the internet—the dry toast memes did, not him so to speak—after officially introducing the world to Facebook’s (aka Meta’s) metaverse back in October 2021, one certainty became clear in most people’s minds. Zucko was about to face many of the same challenges he previously encountered on social media—like having to police harassment and regulate kids on his platforms—only this time, it would happen in the metaverse. Currently, the virtual platform is somewhat messy, experimental and, you guessed it, dominated by men. Though it will take us a while to solve the first two problems listed above, some companies are already looking into efficient ways to attract more women into the metaverse, and make them feel welcome too (so that they eventually stay in it).
Now picture this: you’re a female-identifying gen Zer. While you like to stay updated on what’s going on surrounding NFTs, the metaverse hype and cryptocurrencies, you’re also not that much into those things to be involved in the communities that have formed around them. And you probably already know why: it can be pretty intimidating trying to join male-dominated communities and virtual worlds, especially when the only experience you have to compare it to is social media platforms.
Enter female-led and sustainable Stockholm-based brand Rave Review and its upcoming launch of ‘CryptoPanties’ NFT collection created in collaboration with digital fashion collector RedDAO—an attempt at promoting diversity in the metaverse. The selection of panties as the entryway into the world of NFTs was an intentional one, as Rave Review shared in a press release. “The panties are an unexpected garment. Super feminine. It made the most sense to us to design pieces for the types of people we hope to see more of in the metaverse,” creative directors Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück explained.
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Like other NFT collections (which are more often than not geared towards men) the CryptoPanties will allow buyers—especially women, who are usually left out of the industry—to join an online community that is safe and welcoming. Rave Review’s precise goal for such new collectives is to gather the already existing high-end upcycling community on the blockchain.
But it’s not as easy as it sounds. To gently introduce women to the hows and whys of the metaverse, Rave Review has created an interactive play-by-play to get them started. “For one week, we will be releasing passwords through social media. When inserted to our website, they will unlock a number of challenges and get access to newcomer-friendly guiding instructions and FAQs,” the company shared. Completing these challenges will allow users to learn and explore crypto basics, sign up for pre-sales and gain early access to NFT reveals, all within a safe and accessible community.
Sales will open on 8 March 2022, International Women’s Day, on Rave Review’s CryptoPanties website.