lmao I used to do that, years ago "IM NOT A FURRY I JUST LIKE DRAWING FURRIES"
now i'm just like "yeah hi I'm furry trash nyaa :3c"

I think I did it for a brief time in highschool because I was so affronted by the sexual stuff at the time (but now I'm just like 'You do you, people. That's just not my bag'), but like you, I got over it and am now like BRING ON THE FURRY TRASH WOOOO

I was an "anthro enthusiast" for a long time but I've gotten a lot more into being a furry since I've started going to events and conventions and of course fursuiting. I don't advertise it but I don't hide it either. Just tiresome trying to explain away the negative connotations attached to the label.

But gdi if I'm not having a blast. I'd show up to work in a fursuit if I could. We have some huge pipe wrenches that I keep thinking would go awesome as a dystopian post-apocalyptic weapon for themed outfits with my partial. xD

Yeah, that's a good way of looking at it. I think with most things I don't "advertise it but don't hide it". It's not a secret, but no point shouting it to the world either.

And OH MAN FURSUITING IS THE MOST FUN. I always wanted to be a mascot as a kid, did it in highschool for sports stuff, then worked as one at a local theme park, and then found out people did it for fun that's not a job or sports and I was like I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE.

I used to only draw quads in an attempt to avoid the title because of the bad connotation it has.
But now that I'm older, I got better at art and evolved to drawing everything. And I don't care what people think. lol
Now I'm quite proud to be in this community, even if my school friends give me trouble for it.
I know they still love me and all the dogs I draw.

It seems there's a trend of people as they getting older going 'fuck it all' and not caring what people think and declaring their furrydom, haha. I guess I get it because high school sucks and peers are rough if they get wind of something like that.

BUT HELL YEAH KEEP DRAWIN ALL THOSE DOGS

This. Regardless of an individual's preferences, if you enjoy drawing a thing then there's no shame in identifying as such.

So what? Funny animal people are cool.if it makes you a "furry" because you can say "hey, I like drawings/I like to draw funny animal people" then it is what it is.

I think Leucrotta makes a good point below. We all try to do the "cooly detached" thing to make it seem like we're not 100% ID'ing with something that might have negative connotations so we can play fast and loose and be like "WELL IM NOT A /REAL/ FURRY LIKE /THEM/" or something. Like a self defense mechanism.

I think it is part of the whole "cooly detached" thing. People are kinda reluctant to admit they are really into something which is all over the map and frequently goofy.

Especially if you're a nerd, growing up with a lot of dismissal, you really want your goofy things to have gravitas, to be somehow taken as deadly serious as the other things we're told are unquestionable - religion, capitalism, rationality, that sort of thing. This gives rise to the whole "grim superhero comics" thing, or people viewing the original Ghostbusters as sacrosanct, or in this case, as how they can't possibly belong to a fandom which, at its best, is a little like mixing Burning Man and an animation festival.

That's actually a really awesome observation and kinda sums up some feelings I've been having lately about things. I know, personally, I feel things really passionately, but that was frowned upon even as a nerd growing up and even now and I'm slowly starting to let myself feel things and like things passionately without the associated "cool detachment" and just trying to embrace it. It's hard, because like you say, you want to be taken seriously to some extent and liking talking animals or other things might be seen as not adult or just not cool.

But furry fandom being Burning Man + animation festival is pretty spot on. And on that note, I loved the new Ghostbusters having no real attachment to the original and wish my comics were a more even level of silly goofy superhero shenanigans and more serious/metaphoric plotlines. Saga from Imageworks strikes that midline pretty darn well

I'm a furry ... but not THAT kind of furry. After +30 years of being married my yiffer is about done worn to a nub..

TMI, BRUH, TMI.

LOL

I did the same when I was 15/16. I later found out what the big deal was. When I started hearing about furries I got the impression that furries are practically otherkin. It was years later when I got more and more in contact with the furry community that I learned the difference.
Just a typical case of "meeting the wrong part of the community first" (or to say it clearly, a bunch of idiots who attacked anybody who wasn't "carrying a pure animal soul" and hating on humans. "You have to be a true animal at heart or you're not a furry!" <- original quote).

Sheesh, no wonder I didn't want to be called a furry when I was young. I'm glad I gave it another try.

Oh, whoa, yeah I could def see not liking the term when it's attached to that. I'd be very confused too. Like whoa, yeah no, that ain't me. I put a pretty hard line of definition between otherkin and furry. One's a spiritual thingy and the other is like the moniker 'otaku' or 'anime fan'.

But lmao I FOR ONE AM A TRU ANIMAL AT HEART. My heart beats with the pounding rage of a thousand boofaloo hooves

I think it has to do with that the term "furry" often connotates a community. someone might like the art style or subject of anthropomorphism but not the "fandom" in general.
(sort of in a way someone may like the look of a vehicle without really agreeing with the people who usually flock to that type or are responsible for making it (planes,tanks,race cars,etc) )

there was also a time when many people projected the attitude that to be a "real furry" someone must be addicted to getting off to cartoon animals, visit at least one con,have a fursuit,and love the community. (there might be some people who still present that).
someone might not have time or money, or have other obligations that keep them from being fully involved, a lack of interest in the people side, or dissuaded by the rather unsavory part. (people acting a fool or dangerously in gatherings, the slang, "if you don't buy my stuff you should feel ashamed of depriving a poor artist", "my fursona is also a fox so your character being a fox is ripping off my property",etc). some cultures may additionally frown upon such activities- drawing could be done and detached from a name, but publicly declaring it may be considered disruptive or immature

Ugh, I guess that's true. Like, god forbid you think certain things are interesting either aesthetically or intellectually, suddenly you're aligned with a certain political party or spectrum of political ideas. It kinda sucks.

Ah, yeah, I think I remember that "era" of thought. Squicked me out at the time. What is a ~real~ furry, haha.

Can I joke too?

Some people are afraid of losing/not getting jobs for being called the wrong word.

Something tells me you wouldn't lose your job based on liking The Lion King lmao

That is not entirely correct. Liking something does not make you a furry.

Because "furry" is an imaginary identity, that does not really exist. Telling someone who likes Lion Hamlet that he/she is a furry, is like telling the french that they are calling the apple by the wrong word, since "apple" is the correct word and "pomme" is not.

A furry needs to self-identify as the member of the talking animal fan club.

okay, but what I'm trying to say is no one is gonna fire anyone for being a furry. If they did, it'd be a huge issue to take up with federal employment peeps. It'd basically be firing you for a hobby, which is, uh, illegal.

Well, nobody is legally obligated to hire you. A lot of artists who are members of "teh fandum" hide it as much as possible when applying for jobs.

I highly doubt anyone's employer is taking that much effort to find people's FAs. And if you're using an email that has your username in it, then that's your problem and is unprofessional anyway.

But bruuuhh... I don't want to be lumped in with all the doggy dick pics!

But more seriously, there was a point in the late 90s and noughties where the term furry tended to bring really bad press. The only time it was an acknowledged subculture was in a negative light, usually with those involved held up as some freaks for normal people to laugh at. Looking at you, Eurotrash. Those of us that remember these times avoided association with the word because we didn't want to get torn into at school/college/work.

It's a lot better now though. The rise of the internet and geek chic has opened windows onto all sorts of subcultures, and most of them have turned out to be a lot tamer and less threatening than was previously made out. Differences in personal tastes and interests are more readily accepted than in the past. Recently someone joked that I must be a closet furry, and I said I'm not in the closet - there were laughs, conversation moved on, and that was the end of it :)

I still wouldn't put that on my CV though :P As far as most people are concerned, I do 'fantasy' art xD

It seems to be getting 'better' press when Anthrocon comes to town or whatever. I mean, the newscasters always seem a lil overwhelmed like 'what the hell is this' but I don't blame em hahah. Even from the inside I sometimes look at stuff and go 'what the hell is this', but I wish we could all just be like 'live and let live' in terms of interests. Glad to see the tides turning a lil

I think a fine example of how change has come upon us is  Sval's gallery of exploits. He regularly pops up on outings in my city, and has apparently never had any negative reactions. Meanwhile, I, probably 15 years older, just sort of assumed it would be a bad idea because that's what it was like way back when I was figuring out what the whole furry thing is...

With Anthrocon and similar, I imagine the hotels and venues have gotten over the shock now, and just filed it under another busy - and therefore desirable - week like any other nerd gathering. As long as they can remain in the 'harmless fringe' then they'll be increasingly welcomed by local businesses. Fortunately it's pretty hard to be a dick in a fursuit :)

Aw, that's really brave. I don't think I'd be able to do that but good for him!!! And yeah, on the whole I'd say flurries are a harmless fringe, but every fandom has it's bad apples. Just gotta roll with it.

I disagree. Furry, by definition, is a subculture / fandom. I think it is 100% a personal choice whether or not someone is in it, regardless of what they draw.
It's kind of like how anime is an art style, but not everyone who draws anime is a weeaboo, or part of the anime fandom culture in general.

This has levels though, of course. Like if someone goes to furry conventions and wears a fursuit etc, yeah they're a furry, no doubt. If they say otherwise they're probably in denial or something. But if they just draw classic cartoon characters that existed before furry fandom (as you mentioned), no, I don't think they are default a furry.
Like if someone draws the cat in the hat all day cause they're a fan, I think forcing them into the furry term is ridiculous. It's a personal choice. If anyone in that scenario is being righteous, I'd say it's the ones forcing people into their labels.

Like I said in my disclaimer, I understand why people don't attach the label to themselves and I think it's silly to force someone to have the label, even if they are running around in fursuit and are for some reason (probably personal) still saying "No, I'm not a furry". If they don't wanna be labelled as such, I can respect that, just as I can respect someone who is clearly gay/trans, but is in the closet for some reason, forcibly denying the label for safety/self esteem reasons (tho I know they're not on the same level of seriousness, but you know what I mean).

This is mostly me just trying to be funny and hoping that if someone wanted to draw themselves as a cat and draw exclusively furry-like art would feel more comfortable with the label and not look at it like it was something bad to be. I just want everyone to be happy and have fun \.o./

My point is just that furry is a subculture. It's not an art style, at least to me. (I recognise some don't agree with that though) It just gets on my nerves because people have been drawing animals with human characteristic for thousands of years. (The Löwenmensch figurine is a lion-man statue from 40,000 BC) So the idea that anyone else who ever wants to do that same idea is now automatically in the furry fandom just seems silly to me.
That being said, on a personal level I have nothing against the furry fandom--that's why I've been here for years, after all. Furries are often harmless and have awesome imaginations/ideas.
But you can play video games without being part of the gamer subculture. You can draw a cat with eyebrows and not know the slightest thing about the furry community.

Yes, I lurk from time to time! ; )

Oh, yeah, it's not an art style at all, because like you said, people have been giving human characteristics to animals since we developed the brain capacity to do so. I've just seen a lot of people who basically do everything furries do, such as have fursonas, draw anthro animals, and even admire fursuit, and then when someone asks them "Are you a furry?" they get very upset and say no. Which, like I said, I find a touch odd, but if it really bothers them, then no, there's no point forcing someone to take a label.

Tho I think nowadays one could argue that there is a "furry" style that has emerged from the fandom itself, but that's a different issue entirely and is actually kinda interesting if anyone were to ever study it's progression.

:D Lurk away!! Don't mind if I lurk back!

but is it A subculture, or a multitude of subcultures sharing an art, not so much style, as a range and context of subject matter?
if one has to be immersed in one narrow particular lifestyle to be furry, i'm just as a guess, probably not.
on the other paw, my 'lifestyle' such as it is, certainly isn't any dominant mainstream either.

i don't even understand how anyone can possible wish, let alone pursue, what i see as being the values of today's dominant main stream culture.

but does that automatically make me some, any, particular sub culture? i'm pretty sure i'm a sub culture of one.
at least i don't feel emotionally dependent on 'identifying with' anything that isn't in my own head.

i see furrys as people sharing appearance with non-human species to whom this earth is home.
in other words a kind of local subset of alien.

what is a furry subculture? i've lived a couple of years in house shared by furrys.
as a subculture it seems to be a sub sub culture of gender benders,
but i'm not that either. and while perhaps a minority, i know a lot of furrys who aren't genderbent.

so just what is this thing called a furry subculture? i really don't know.
i mean i've been deeply surrounded by it, and i still don't claim to know.

but i know people who look like other then human species of earth, seem to be the defining factor.

ALSO WHOA YOU'RE ON FA

/INSTA-FOLLOWS

i leave it up to other people in all of my interests to make up their own mind if they want to think i qualify to be numbered among them or not.

as for other people in any of my interests doing things i wouldn't be interested in, really doesn't affect what i am interested in.
people outside of those interests, lumping people together who share them, with what THEY might have a problem with,
well that's rather obviously just ignorance, and like it or not, that's a thing that exists too,
but i'm not going to reject being accepted because of the stereotypes of ignorant outsiders.

some things do bother me when people who don't know what they're talking about associate me with them.
not the things, the people doing so.

the ignorance of the ignorant IS annoying, but it isn't going to change what i am and am not interested in.
and i'm cool with a lot of things that don't interest me, being an interest of people who share some of the things i am interested in.
which isn't going to make me interested in what i'm not either.

vore and diapers and inflation as erotic fantasy i'm like huh? how? why?
as for gender, outside of sex, why should that have anything to do with anything?
within it, like anything else, to each their own.

technologies compatible with nature and infrastructure based on them,
cultures based on logic and consideration, leading people to live in odd, tiny little houses,
these things attract me,
and the people living in them just happen to be 'furry', because humans don't look that good,
and there's a great big universe were life evolves independently on every world it occurs,
surrounding this tiny island that is our own.

so my furry is kind of after the fact.
i'm much more interested in world and culture and places and things concepts,
then i am in characters, personas, fursonas, or portraits of them.

which is what leaves my furryness in a bit of a limbo that i leave up to others
to feel about how they choose to.

so furry isn't a dirty word. but is it me or not me? my answer is does it matter?

i make pictures, of places, inside my head, the people in them aren't human.
but they are people, and some have tails and all have obviously non-human faces.

Eh, like I said, it really is up to the individual. Like you said, it's not a dirty word, that's why I don't know why people treat it as such. Maybe 5 years ago I could se why, but now it's pretty solid that furries aren't huge orgies of fursuits to most people who don't live under a rock, so it's like...it's all good everybody.

if I may be a lil serious here I think there's some intersection with homophobia/biphobia and the negative furry stereotype. (because, really, all fandoms have sex stuff that a certain portion partakes in. Why single out this one?)

Sci-fi and other more "mainstream" nerds- mostly/stereotypically straight- get typed as the loser virgin nerds. But furries, w a higher non-straight demographic? They like/do sex stuff and that's gross. Somehow it's yiffy gay foxes that make it into the mainstream as "bad" furries and not your basic straight boys who jack off to Lola Bunny.

That's a good point, especially since a large majority of porn in the anime fandom is hentai and those who partake in yaoi (mostly teenaged girls) are marginalized within those communities and scorned (or at least very much were in the mid-late 2000s. I dunno about now) and those who partake in yuri are overwhelmingly straight men since watching lesbian porn is already "acceptable" amongst their ilk.

For sure. It's like, in our society, if there's not some shame attached to it, you're weird. You gotta have some good ol' fashion American Protestant guilt about your sex, especially your gay sex, or you're just not doing it right. Being out and proud has always been seen as a threat to the status quo, and tacking on being a furry to that just makes it ickier for some, I suppose.

'classic cartoon animals With Personalities and Human Eyebrows ™'
That is a new way perspective.

Me...
https://guyghoul.tumblr.com/post/116529079963

Yerp. That's kinda how I feel about it. Tho as people in the thread have, it's cool that people self define and such too.