One day, I was at the grocery store, in the parking lot. While I was there, I saw a person in a mascot costume, which appeared to be a blue fox.
At first, I just ignored it, but then the next day, at school, I overheard some people in the hallway. They said "Yeah. Furries are just people who like to [censored] people while wearing animal costumes, and they support bestiality." I was curious, so I asked them, "What is a furry?" They replied, saying, "You don't want to know."
That just made me even more curious. So later that day, I googled the furry fandom. I became intrigued almost instantly. After I read a few articles, watched a few documentaries, and watched a few videos by FurTubers (furry YouTubers), I concluded that the Furry Fandom is very misunderstood, and a lot of people hate it, so I decided to compile all my data together and brain dump it into less than half a page. This is what I've got so far:
A furry is a person who is a fan of anthropomorphic characters, or animals that behave and have some characteristics of humans (like Zootopia).
A furry usually is someone who creates an anthropomorphic character based on their personality, or a personality they wish they had- called a fursona (furry persona).
If they have enough money, they spend a few thousand dollars on a fursuit, which is basically a mascot but with more padding, and they are only expensive because they are made by individual artists, as opposed to a huge company.
Some furries don't have fursuits, like the popular Youtuber Blu the dragon. Art is a huge aspect of the furry fandom. Most furries are VERY good at drawing, so they draw their fursonas doing something, like playing tennis or doing homework. Not all furries can draw, though.
It shouldn't be a surprise that there is a correlation between being a furry and being neurodivergent (Autism, ADHD/ADD, OCD, Tourette's, etc.), as there is with furries and being on the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
The vast majority of furries have experienced a form of trauma, social anxiety, and/or ostracization in their lives, so they turn to the fandom as a method of escapism, and/or acceptance. There is a Japanese proverb that says "putting on a mask can reveal one's true self."
Some people see the furry fandom as a sex-crazed fetish. While there is some lewdity in the fandom, it isn't the main reason for the fandom's existence- there is only as much of a sexual aspect to it as there is to being human in general- it is what you make of it. The media likes to exaggerate about the furry fandom, except for a few articles by CNN and documentaries by MSNBC, BBC, and VICE.
Above all, the Furry Fandom is basically the world's most misunderstood subculture.
My life has never been the same since may of 2018.
YOU ARE READING
How I found the Furry Fandom
Non-FictionThis is how I found a subculture that changed my life. (NOTE: yes, I know the drawing seen on the cover is of low quality- it was my first attempt at drawing my fursona)
