Mesh bodies - Male Edition

 Once you decide to buy a mesh body in Second Life, you quickly run into a problem.

WHERE ARE THEY?

Most vendors don't list them on Marketplace or pay for in game search advertisements.  If you do happen to know the maker's name, your search will mostly turn up clothing made specifically for the bodies. It's like you have to know someone who knows someone who can get you in.

Don't worry, I got you.  Below is a list of top mesh body makers with in game links, valid as of January 2026. I will update and post a new date as time passes.

When you click on the links below, they will take you to a teleport browser window, which will want to open your game viewer when you click on the second teleport button. 

This is where I absolutely recommend you get a demo to try out before you buy.  Also, some places have sales, especially in late November.

Male (Human) Bodies

Budget Bodies

I'll be honest, your best option is the new Legacy Basic body available in your SL Library folder, mostly because there are not a lot of clothes made that fit these bodies.  It does not have an alpha option, so you will need to find or make wearable alphas for clothes that give you body show-through issues.

Senra is also available in your inventory Library folder.  There are multiple clothing options available with it, but not a lot of vendors design for this body.

Roth was made for The Mesh Project (TMP), a free open source body which never really got much traction with clothing vendors.  It's older, and there are multiple vendors reselling it.  This one at 10L is a single head and body. No alpha HUD, but it does respond to Bento hand and face HUDs. I mostly recommend it because it has one of the best cheap genitalia+hud options.

Sweet's  This 1L option might be a Roth body, too? Head not included.

Note: Legacy used to offer a free Classic Meshbody option, but they removed it when the Legacy Basic body arrived.  This body cannot wear clothing rigged for the Legacy body.  You will see clothing available for it, but as far as I can tell, the body is no longer available.  Same for SLink bodies and clothing.

Bestsellers

These are the top three bodies that most vendors make clothing for.

Belleza offers the Jake body at 1500L. Very popular and has been around a long time, but with no major recent updates, which is why they have lowered the price.  Head not included.

Signature has the Davis and Gianni bodies for 4900L.  They also have their own line of heads, sold separately for 3900L.

Legacy has the Athletic and Special Edition bodies are 5000L.  Heads not included. The Special edition includes body deformers so you can wear clothes for other bodies.  These bodies also have multiple feet for heeled shoes.

More Options

Altamura has a variety of head+body heads from 2450-2600L, plus the Dante body only for 1250L. heads are also sold separately for around 1945L.  The middle aged and senior heads are more expensive.

The CZ body has three options - Male, Slim, and Muscle for 2,000L.  Heads not included.

Inthium makes you go on an expedition through their giant shop to get to their bodies.  Look for the Male teleport links and then trek to the room to the right of the stairs where you land. They have three male body types - Flat, Flex, and Fit, for 3,000L apiece, or a fatpack of all three bodies for 3999L. To get a demo, right click on the vendor box, select Touch, and click on the demo button. Heads not included.

Anatomy - I was there in November, but they seem to be closed? 4,499L  according to my notes.  Will check again.  Was very popular for unusual and alternative clothing.

Notes: None of the male bodies are anatomically correct, but you can buy a wide variety of add-ons.  I have not yet researched this particular category, but there's a whole subcategory on Marketplace under Avatar Accessories.  Make sure your maturity rating includes Adult when searching - you may have to log in.
 
Rebirth has the Eden body for 3650L, which can be male, female, or child. Head included, it looks like. I haven't tried the demo, but it's a great option if you don't want the heavy, muscular look. 

FAQ

What's BOM?  

BOM stands for Bakes-On Mesh.  Your body has an external layer that shows the skin texture.  BOM allows you to add additional textures to that skin layer.  It's like getting extra skin layers.  Makeup, tattoos, freckles, scars, hairbases, and even clothing can be BOM.  It's great for things like stockings, underwear, and when you want to wear additional clothing layers that might otherwise show through your other clothing.

Second Life's system bodies (the original, non mesh bodies ie, what you get when you remove everything) were designed for this, so in the beginning, ALL clothing was BOM.  It took a while for newer mesh bodies and heads to develop this same feature, so you may see some things for sale really hyping up the fact that it's BOM capable.

What's Alpha? 

See BOM above to get an idea of how the skin layer on mesh bodies works.  Alpha is the opposite, it hides the skin layer.  So if your elbows are showing through your sleeves, you can 'alpha out' your body's elbows and they will no longer be visible. Some varieties of men's clothing can be worn on bodies it wasn't made for without looking odd using alphas. 
Most mesh bodies come with this feature installed, and you can find a body map in the included HUD menu that does this for you.
Some vendors also make alphas customized for their clothes that you have to add to your body.  Some include auto-alpha scripts in the clothing itself so that when you put it on, it automatically hides the skin underneath it.  It will (usually) reset your skin when you remove the article of clothing. 

You can also buy premade general alphas to cover all or part of the basics.

What's a HUD?

HUD stands for 'heads up display,' originally used in aircraft.  It's a menu that will operate specific things.  You usually have to 'add it' in order to use it. (right click on the object in your inventory and select 'add'.  You can do 'wear', too but that often will knock off another object being worn.)  These menus can be used for a wide variety of things, from changing textures to customizing the shape of your hands.

What's Bento?

Bento is basically a mesh body skeleton.  It controls how you move, with a ton of options for the face and hands.  Your body will usually come with Bento hand options in the HUD.  Mesh heads usually have facial expressions.  You can buy all these things separately as well.

What's an Applier?

An applier is a HUD menu that was used to bridge the gap between pre-BOM ready mesh bodies and textures.  I admit I missed this time period in Second Life and don't know much about them. They're still out there, but pretty much all mesh bodies purchased today are BOM capable, and appliers are not needed.  Some makeup, nail, and eye colors come with appliers that will work with modern heads - they will provide a list of what they will work with.