There are so many things people get wrong about furries. This subculture has been stigmatized and alienated without any good reason. Here, we will discuss some basic things about furries, what their interests are, and what makes them so special. You will also discover whether you are a furry and if it is something that you’d enjoy in general. Let’s dive into it.
What Are Furries?
Before we go into details about how everything works, we should address what the furry community is about. The furry fandom is a community focused on anthropomorphic animals. They dress up as animal characters, but they still have human characteristics and personalities.
This means that they walk on two legs, have normal conversations, wear clothes, and so on. The term is also used to describe people interested in furry conventions and those who are members of the fandom via the internet.
It is a diverse community involving artists, writers, fans, gamers, role-players, and anyone else who enjoys the idea behind anthropomorphic animals. What many fail to understand is that furries don’t believe that they are animals. They are well aware that they are humans, and they just enjoy the idea behind the fandom. It is worth mentioning that not even all furries have a fursuit.
Who Is Into Furry Fandom?
Anyone is more than welcome to join the community. There are no specific rules or laws that determine who can join and who can’t. The community is quite open, and it can be extremely fun to be a part of it. One of the main problems is that people often don’t understand the idea behind it, and there is so much misinformation you can find online.
Some people believe that furries spend their entire lives in a fursuit, but statistics show otherwise. It turns out that less than one-third of all furries even own a fursuit. The community is more about sharing the same interest and creating unique art. Some people just enjoy TV shows and movies with animals behaving like humans, and this includes anything from Pokemon to popular Disney movies like Lion King and Zootopia.
Animals that behave like humans have been around for quite a while across various media. We have Sonic the Hedgehog in video games (and pokemon franchise), Disney, and many others. And the best thing about the fandom is that it will accept anyone. You can be furry if you are a CEO, in a relationship, single, or anything else that comes to mind. There are no limitations.
It’s Not About Sex
Now, this is one of the most important parts when it comes to furries — it’s not about sex. Many people fail to understand this, and they believe that furries either have a fetish for fur or they are into bestiality. Neither of these things is true.
If you consider the fact that furries behave like regular people and that these people don’t believe that they are animals, it is obvious how different it is from the kinks we have mentioned. Furthermore, pet play fantasy is more in line with what people believe about furries. Here, a person will behave like an animal; they will use a bowl to eat or drink, sometimes even sleep in a cage, and so on.
Being a furry is not about fetishes, sexuality, or sex. It is about interests. Being a furry is no different than loving video games, movies, or comics. Of course, there are people whose main interest is sex, but they belong to a smaller subcategory of this fandom.
Finally, we have already mentioned that only a small percentage of furries own a fursuit, and they would rather not have sex in it. It is uncomfortable, not sexy, and it can damage the suit.
Am I a Furry?
Reading how liking Disney movies might make you a furry raises a question — am I a furry? Aren’t we all a bit furry? Well, it depends on you and you alone. There are so many different subcategories, and there is a chance that you might fit into one. But if the idea behind furry conventions seems uninteresting, and if you don’t want to meet other people with the same interests, then you probably aren’t a furry.
While there are people who own fursuits (also called fursuiters), they are in the minority. They often develop a fursona, which is a term used to describe the personality of their character. For other furries, the whole idea is to promote and create art. Essentially, if you enjoy watching pokemon, you are a furry. You enjoy a piece of art that the fandom calls furry. This doesn’t need to be a bad thing.
A lot of people present furries as sexual deviants that are into bestiality and who knows what. There is a possibility that some will fit the description, but it is like saying that someone will behave in a certain way due to their nationality.
To make it even more interesting, you don’t need to like humanoid animals to be a furry. Any fictional animal that has human characteristics is anthropomorphic. This includes emotions, behavior, talking, and others. You can be a furry on so many different levels, and you don’t need to like or change anything in your life.
If you consider that the majority of Disney animals are furries, you can easily understand why the fandom is becoming so popular. So if you like anything we have mentioned so far, you are a furry. However, that doesn’t mean you need to become a part of the community.
Furry Lingo
If all of this seems exciting to you, we can help you with some basic terms that might help you get started. We have already mentioned some terms, but here is a list you might hear or read if you decide to join the community:
- Anthropomorphic — a non-human that behaves or has some human traits like walking on hind legs, talking, facial expression, emotions, and so on.
- Fursona — it is a reference to one’s identity. It is usually an altered persona they have created.
- Fursuit — an animal suit designed by the owner. It is most common during cosplays.
- Furmeet — an event for people to hang out, talk, play games, participate in various activities, etc.
- Kemono — Japanese art that shows anthropomorphic animals with human-like expressions.
- Neofurries — newcomers to the community, who are inexperienced and are looking to learn more about fandom.
- Fleshies or Smoothies — outsiders who visit fandom. Furries often call them Steve.
- Furpile — group hug.
- Yiff — a sound of excitement foxes make. If cuddles become sexual, it is what’s considered yiffing.
- Toony — caricatured animals.
- Feral — animals that walk on four legs.
- Plushie — stuffed toy.
These are just some of the examples you might encounter, and there are so many more. Naturally, it depends on each individual group how much they’ll use the furry lingo. Some abbreviations that are also common include AFK, LMAO, and others you can find all over the internet.