#26797 - 07/04/09 05:40 PM
Fur Fandom & Furs
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TornadoCreator
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Registered: 10/24/07
Posts: 579
Loc: No Fixed Address
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Now, I've been asked a couple of times in chat about this and twice by PM, I don't recall mentioning my links to the fandom before but clearly I must have (and I suppose my pictures being hosted on Wikifur was a bit of a give away). As there is a great amount of misconception about what furries are then I'm happy to fill in the grey areas.
1. What are furries?
Furs or Furries (both names are used interchangeable) are fans of anthropomorphic media, be it art, animation, literature, games etc. I will explain in more detail further on.
2. Is it a fetish?
Yes, but only for about half the people involved. The other half have no sexual interest in anything anthropomorphic. In a recent furry study 43% of furs who answered the questionnaire of 50,000 people said they had no interest or a minimal interest in any adult furry media or activities. However a great deal of people do find it sexually stimulating.
3. Do furs have sex with animals?
Zoophilia is illegal in many countries and I wouldn't condone it. I personally find the idea repulsive. In the recent studies, less than 1% who completed the study at conventions admitted to zoophilia, however online, the numbers where a staggering 17.4% which I must admit is rather disturbing. However saying that more than 70% gave a negative opinion of zoophilia, and 32% gave an extremely negative opinion, so although more widespread than the fandom would like to admit, it's certainly not condoned for the most part.
4. Is the fur fandom full of gay men?
Actually yes. The fandom has a rather disproportionate number of gay and bisexual men than any other social group discounting those specifically based around sexuality. With 31% of men claiming heterosexuality, 41% claiming bisexuality and 26% claiming homosexuality, and 2% answering "other". When it comes to women however, 48% claim bisexuality, and 52% claim heterosexuality, with no lesbians at all completing the surveys in 2002, 2005 or 2007 which was a bazaar result.
That said, only 17.1% of the fandom are female according to the surveys, making zoophiles more common than women in the fandom, something again I find rather disturbing.
5. Do furs think they're animals or think they have animal spirits?
Yes and No. Some do, some don't. It's not a religious group and it's certainly not a new age religion. In the surveys it was found that approximately 45% of the fandom are Atheists (21% calling themselves atheists and the other 24% calling themselves agnostics because they're too stupid to realise the word doesn't mean what they think it means), about 20% are Christian, 15% are "Pagan" (whatever that means), 8% Buddhist, 5% Taoist, 2% Jewish, and 5% spread out over a spread of other religions with less that 1% apiece, with Islam only getting 0.2% of the fandom, making it the least represented religion.
6. So what are furs then, really?
They're just art fans. They like art with humans showing animal characteristics and animals showing human characteristics. They often like films and shows with shapeshifters eg. werewolves in them. They find series such as the Redwall Books and the Animals Of Farthing Wood TV series interesting. A lot of them watch cartoons because there is a lack of anthropomorphic material designed for adults. In all honesty it's a fandom no different than the Animé fandom or the Star Trek fandom. Sure you have a sexual side (Hentai/Yaoi or Star Trek Erotic Fan Fiction), but all groups do. It just seems to have been the Internet's punching bag the past few years.
I hope this has answered a few questions to those wondering, if not ask away, I'm sure I could answer any questions.
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If you can't practice what you preach, at least have the decency to preach what you practice
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#26804 - 07/05/09 12:21 AM
Re: Fur Fandom & Furs
[Re: ta2zz]
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TornadoCreator
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Registered: 10/24/07
Posts: 579
Loc: No Fixed Address
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If I may ask what is your fursona, if in course you have one?
I do, but mine is a fantasy animal which is a little odd. The Phoenix. I was in and out of hospital all the time so I felt the "constant rebirth from death", well illness fit for me. That, and I have always felt a certain kinship with birds, I like a routined life. I like a cosy nest (bedroom). I would rather share my mundane but personal life with someone to get close than try to impress them with strange dates. And finally I like to preen myself.
Do you have or plan on having or constructing your own fursuit?
Not really. Bird based fursuits always look awful anyway, and besides I'm a big guy who doesn't like getting hot and apparently they can get boiling to wear. My old room-mate though was a badger, and he's part way though getting a fursuit made. Also, phoenix is made of fire, that would be even hotter, and likely deadly.
Are you familiar with Southpark’s episode "Sexual Harassment Panda" in it they bring up a place called the island of misfit mascots.
Actually no. I am familiar with the CSI episode, that was awful, made the fandom out to be some orgy where everyone wore fursuits and had strange alter egos. The fursuits are rarely more than a bit of fun and only about 1 in 10 furs even have them at conventions. I'll look that episode up and tell you what I think.
Do you think someone in a fursuit in public is normal? Not including working furs of course.
No. But then someone in Animé of Star Trek CoS-Play in public wouldn't be my idea of normal either. At a fancy dress party, at a Halloween special in a club, and at a fur convention they're fine, but I don't know any furs who think it's normal to wear their fursuits in public (I don't even think I know any that were them in private just randomly). I do know a couple of furs that specifically try to get jobs as mascots or children's entertainers though so they can wear fursuits more often. Make your hobby your job, sounds like a good idea to me.
What do you think of these guys? Hollywood Blvd. Are they similar or just creative panhandlers?
Bit from column A, bit from column B.
I'd honestly never heard of people doing that before. There are similarities sure. But remember, not all furs wear fursuits or even like fursuits. I know I'll probably never try one, in the same way as many Star Trek fans will never dress up like Spock.
Personally, I think these guys are cool. They found a niche and they've added some character and colour to an otherwise standard street. It makes Hollywood Blvd that little bit more unique and I say good on them if it's what they want to do.
Hope this answered your questions, if you have any more or if anyone else would like to ask some questions by all means, like I say I don't mind even the strangest of questions as the fandom has been quite badly portrayed across the net and even on TV. One good example is Viacom. Viacom and it's subsidiaries are banned from the 6 biggest fur cons in USA and Canada because they make us out to be all fetishists. Back in 2007, when they couldn't get into Anthrocon (the biggest fur con in the world) due to skewed reviews and quote mining in the past, they faked a meeting with some furs and put in on an MTV special. Anthrocon sued over that and now Viacom can't come within 500 yards of any Anthrocon event or partnered hotel during convention time.
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If you can't practice what you preach, at least have the decency to preach what you practice
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#26989 - 07/09/09 10:13 PM
Re: Fur Fandom & Furs
[Re: Morgan]
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TornadoCreator
member
Registered: 10/24/07
Posts: 579
Loc: No Fixed Address
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I was thinking about what you said and trying to understand it.
"But remember, not all furs wear fursuits or even like fursuits."
So you are a furry if you just like anthropomorphic media thingys?
Like the Japanese anime cartoons with that demon that is half dog half human?
Pretty much yeah. Some people take the fandom further than others, just like some people are more into anime or star trek than others but if you like anthropomorphic media enough that you consider it a hobby, passion or personal interest you're a furry.
What if you like regular fur, but not as a fursuit or as a animal?
I'm not sure I understand the question, can you rephrase it?
If you mean regular fur as in fur coats, then no that's just fashion. In fact about 2/3rds of furries are anti-fur trade and about half are against the wearing of leather, which makes my clothing choices unpopular as I wear a full length leather trench coat.
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#26991 - 07/09/09 10:51 PM
Re: Fur Fandom & Furs
[Re: Morgan]
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TornadoCreator
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Registered: 10/24/07
Posts: 579
Loc: No Fixed Address
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Actually yes, a great deal of furs are vegetarians.
I think its because a lot of furs love animals, not just anthropomorphic media. In some cases it's why they love anthropomorphic media. So I can understand people who feel close to animals being against any form of animal cruelty or perceived animal cruelty.
I personally love fur and leather, I feel they're more comfortable and pleasurable to the touch. Fur I find so soft and warm and leather is my favourite. I'm sitting in a leather chair right now.
As for fur suits. I don't feel any desire to ever wear one either. I don't get why people dress up, it's just fun for them I suppose. But then I'm also a trekkie and I don't see why people go to Star Trek conventions dressed as Klingons (I'm not however an anime fan, I have known anime fans, and I like the occasional anime but I prefer live action TV so I would say I'm not in that fandom).
The way I would judge if you're a furry or not Morgan (which from your posts I would say you're probably not). Is do you prefer any media that has human-animal hybrids or similar fantasy animals, over the same media without it. Paintings, Games, TV Shows, Film, Roleplay, Comics, Books, Theatre, Sculpture. Anything at all. Most furries are fans of Fantasy novels, films or TV shows before finding out about the fandom, finding they enjoy stories with fantasy creatures such a dragons, gryphons, unicorns, werewolves etc.
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If you can't practice what you preach, at least have the decency to preach what you practice
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#27135 - 07/15/09 03:41 PM
Re: Fur Fandom & Furs
[Re: TornadoCreator]
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The Zebu
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Registered: 08/08/08
Posts: 1129
Loc: Orlando, FL
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My main problem is what one would call "extremist" furries- you know, the plushie-fucking weirdos with trap-door fursuits, who are utterly convinced that their true identity is a six-dicked dragon fox. That said, being a digital artist myself, I am actually friends with a few "moderate" furries, who are into the art, but don't get into the weirder varieties of yiffing and cosplaying. I don't mind those people, and I suspect that you are one of them. However, it's come to the point where the very word "furry" or "anthro" invokes without failure all the unsavory negative stereotypes associated with the lot.
I do find it funny, though, that I usually end up using the terms "moderate" and "extremist" like furries are some kind of political faction.
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#27144 - 07/15/09 07:32 PM
Re: Fur Fandom & Furs
[Re: The Zebu]
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TornadoCreator
member
Registered: 10/24/07
Posts: 579
Loc: No Fixed Address
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To be honest. I don't like the extreme fetish furries either. It's a hobby for me. In the same way a thriller movies, sci-fi TV, video games and playing snooker are hobbies for me. I don't see much of a sexual pleasure in it, although if a girl was wearing a headband with toy cat ears and purring during sex I wouldn't be against it, I certainly wouldn't be into having sex in a fursuit, and I have no desire at all to fuck a stuffed toy.
I've been a furry now for 7 years, 7 fucking years... the fandom isn't that big and is only maybe 25 years old. Most high profile members in the fur fandom are people I've spoken to and know at least as acquaintances and I don't know anyone who openly goes over the top when it comes to the fur fandom. I don't know anyone who openly fucked stuffed toys, I don't know anyone who openly fucks animals, most people I know consider it nothing more than a hobby and if it has a sexual aspect, they're generally quite private about that part of the hobby.
If I met someone who was wearing a crotchless fursuit and doing anything sexual in public, I would want nothing to do with him. Hell I don't even like people doing anything furry related in public because it would be perceived as eccentric. But then if I saw someone dressed as Spock and masturbating in the street I wouldn't want anything to do with him either. It's an extreme which I honestly think doesn't exist, it's just been created by MTV, Vanity Fair and Internet Memes. "Furries = Sick" that's the basic consensus online, and it's because most people don't even know what furry is.
The only thing that pisses me off are the people who think they have animal spirits, which is about 1/4 of the fandom, maybe a little more. They are odd. But then 80%+ of people believe in magical sky daddy so stupid beliefs are the norm in society. The people who actually think they are dragons or [insert animal here] but claim that we perceive them as human because of magic, or inability to perceive them properly, or lack of a special part of the brain unique to dragons... they're called insane. There is a sub-group called the Weres, within the fur fandom. It's a small community of people who share this delusion. The rest of the fandom laugh at them because they're insane. There's maybe a couple of hundred of them at most. There's about 20 thousand furs. Anthrocon regularly has 3000+ people attend and last year sold out within 14 hours of the tickets becoming available online.
Basically what I'm saying is, we have weirdos, unfortunately there's enough of us that 1-2% of us being weirdos is a sizeable chunk and our weirdos are unfortunately loud, obnoxious, disturbing sexual deviants who don't understand the concept of subtlety and cry when they're called freaks on the internet. Hence bad public appearance of the fandom.
Edited by TornadoCreator (07/15/09 07:33 PM)
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If you can't practice what you preach, at least have the decency to preach what you practice
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#27161 - 07/16/09 01:23 AM
Re: Fur Fandom & Furs
[Re: TornadoCreator]
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The Zebu
active member
Registered: 08/08/08
Posts: 1129
Loc: Orlando, FL
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Ah... well I suppose that's the way it is with any subculture; similar to how loud and annoying teenage devil-worshipers tend to be the prevalent stereotype of Satanism.
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#27172 - 07/16/09 02:09 PM
Re: Fur Fandom & Furs
[Re: ZephyrGirl]
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TornadoCreator
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Registered: 10/24/07
Posts: 579
Loc: No Fixed Address
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I honestly don't consider it a fetish of mine. I find it entirely none sexual. My room-mate used to draw furry porn on occasion (maybe 1 in 10 of his pictures) and he kept them in his portfolio in his room. His clean stuff he put on his wall in his room. I'm not claiming there's nothing sexual about it, just nothing sexual for me about it.
As for your teddy. Meh. You where a little girl experimenting sexually like any other little girl would. You don't do it now as an adult so no, that doesn't mean you have a fetish it just means you're not ashamed to admit you experimented with stuff as a kid. When I was 13 I wore women's clothes to experiment, doesn't make me a cross dresser, it makes me a curious kid who did something just to see what it was like.
Personally, if someone was a plushophile, then fine by me, doesn't hurt me in the slightest so they're welcome to do as they wish. I'm sure some furs are but simply don't talk about it, which is understandable.
If I'm honest my fetishes would include a mild teen fetish (but then I'm only 24, perhaps as I get older I'll find older women attractive but I tend to find the 15-19 age bracket the most attractive although I do find women as old as 35 attractive depending on the woman so I'm not sure if this counts, I have no age preference with guys). I'm quite into mild amounts of bondage, I'm not opposed to a little S&M and I have a water fetish. (I like sex in the bath/shower, I like sex on the beach etc). I'm not afraid of my sexual side, it's after all entirely natural, I just genuinely don't have a sexual aspect to my enjoyment of furry media.
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