You're only a furry if you wanna call yourself one. You define it for yourself, more or less. I mean, there are some folks that are fans of anthropomorphic characters, will draw it (both sfw and nsfw) AND they have a anthro sona and even a fursuit of a character, but they will vehemently say they are not a furry. Sure, it's strange, considering they would fit the bill and definition, but gotta respect it! :>

S'far as being proud of being a furry, ehhhh yes and no.
On one hand, we're a part of a very very diverse community, creativity knows no bounds and honestly, all walks of life and experience traverse this fandom. It's really freakin' cool! Costume makers, writers, composers, artists, sculptors, everything and anything goes, and there's not a particular age group or huge cultural factor to really get into this fandom, just if you like giving animals humanoid characteristics!
Onnnn the other, you got a lot of stigma, as furry is, by definition, a fetish. In both the nonsexual (literally, "a course of action to which one has an excessive and irrational commitment") definition and sexual definition. I mean, if you've dedicated yourself to create a persona in this group, befriend people and end up creating for the group as well, you essentially fall into the nonsexual definition, though folks can and will take it into the bedroom, and unfortunately, it gets out and ends up harboring the more negative imagery of the fandom. Doesn't help so does the immature and the creepy sides, too. I guess people see it as childish when they don't see it as sexual, so it's kinda a lose-lose for conveying the fandom.
Honestly, I just do my own thing and I'm proud to see when folks step up in the name of the furry community to help people to try and give the fandom a better name and reputation. On the other hand, it's just like every other fandom: chock full of different strokes for different folks, and thankfully the negative is small, but god is it loud.

I only end up conferring that I'm a furry if it comes up in conversation. A lot of my friends diss furries, and most of the time, I do agree with them (they make good points). They tend to find out I'm a furry by looking at my art or even asking me, but even then they don't really change their opinion of me, but I don't really feel a need to shove it in their face. Not out wearing a tail all the time, I'm not a "proud furry so fuk u" sort, and honestly, I try to keep it as low-key as possible. I'm a lot of other kinds of fandom trash and they know it, so what's furry on top of that, anyways? :D

Eh, I just feel like I do any other fandom I've ended up immersed in. It's a place where we all share a common ground, but don't expect it to be perfect. Ever. I love the friends I make, I avoid the peeps that give me the creeps, and honestly with each fandom I pass through, I pick up a little something to carry with me and help further myself, bit by bit. I've been in the fandom since I was in elementary school and at this point, nothing surprises me anymore.

Hopefully you'll find more tolerable folks in the furry fandom in person soon ;w; They're out there, but sometimes you gotta get through the rough groups first. Sometimes they'll end up growing out of it, sometimes it's something inherent in them.

I definitely get behind this definition. And I think, too, if you technically "fit the bill" you shouldn't be pressured into taking the label. "Furry" in itself is just a word to some folks while it's an identity to others. I don't feel that people should pressure folks into accepting one or the other. This is similar to why I get annoyed when people claim "If you liked Lion King you're a furry". No. No you're not. Not if you don't want to be.

The diversity of the community is really what I love and find fascinating. There are so many different talents and I'm constantly amazed by them. I feel like any fandom I have been in outside of furries has never been this creatively motivated. And the artwork, which is my personal favorite part, can be so varied, so unique, so unorginally trendy, weird, and beautiful all in one. Even when it comes to things like porn, which I could care less about, I still get amazed at the skill people put into their artwork. It's one of those things where its like "Wow, what a nicely rendered ballsack!" which is obviously not something I readily tell people outside the fandom (though hilariously I did tell one of my non-furry friends that before to creep her out aha!)

I mean, I have a lot of annoyances with furries. Example, I hate when furries claim to love animals but don't bother researching a lick of what their animal anatomically looks like. Or they continue to support and enable artists who repeatedly abuse their fanbases or have commission queues that go on for years, which is downright irresponsible and unprofessional. Furries can be pushovers, frankly, and god is it annoying. I see so many furries support the worst people and ignore fantastic talent to the point it's just plain sad. Furries can be way too forgiving for my taste, even. And fursuiters... I love some, hate others. I mostly hate fursuiters who think they are better than other furries because they were blessed to have the money to suit.

But it's very true as what you said, the negatives are small but they speak the loudest.

Speaking of other fandoms, I know the Invader Zim one was atrocious by the time I left it. Constant drama 24/7. Furries are saints compared to them.

I certainly hope so too! I'm hoping to attend FWA next year and maybe I can meet some good folks there! c:

Exactly! Or like "if you make a zootopia persona, you're a furry!" Nah, not really, not unless you wanna claim to be alongside (and I know I have jokingly poked fun at that scenario, myself, but you're a furry only if you say so!)

This is why this fandom has by far stuck with me the longest. It shows a lot more change and growth, and a lot more promise to prospective artists wanting to put themselves out there and work on their craft. Heck, furries aren't a bad stepping stone to kick off into more professional pieces (and you never know, you might network into something even bigger), as you'd definitely find a bit of a market here and develop even a remote group that enjoys and follows your work! Omf the last bit about the nicely rendered ballsack, yEP, P MUCH. I dabble in the smut from time to time to at least get a little more buck (considering it sells well here), but man, some of the art here is like, top notch and A+, even if it's not my cuppa (and if it is my cuppa weLL DANG).

Oh gosh SAME. Or you have the furries that tend to complain about getting jipped or waiting so long, but they don't really DO anything about it. They don't push for refunds, they don't push the artist and see if it's done OR they just accept the excuse and then get mad when they're just back at square 1. A good number of this fandom are doormats, and I admit, I have made commissioners wait on my work (heck, still have a bit of a wait), but not for over a year, and I usually let them know to hold off payment in that case since, well, it's taking awhile. I hate seeing people just take money and then never deliver, even when they aren't scamming but they just... they don't do it. :\
Aaaaah, fursuiters. They tend to be a bit of a mixed bag, mercifully I've met some really awesome fursuiting folks, but there are a few that let the fame get to their head. It can change people, heck, I know I'm a wee bit different at least after getting Pepper. xwx;;; But yeah, those that think they're superior furry trash because they can run around in fur and foam and resin, thbtht on them.

Oh gosh yeah, I remember Invader Zim got nasty before I left, too. Got to sit through the nasty spells of Homestuck, Supernatural, and Steven Universe as well, and right now I'm just kinda peeking at Undertale and waiting for their turn. Each fandom's gonna get it, something will happen and it'll cause one HELL of an uproar. Nothing surprises me at this point, just disappointment at the repeating pattern ;v;

Yesssss, I'm headed to FWA again next year, considering this one went over pretty well! OvO Definitely gonna have to give it a go again! I recommend that con, it's bigger than most other fur cons, but it's in a space large enough that it's got room to grow AND it still has a more laid-back vibe to it than some cons (MFF, hoi dang that place was high-octane @o@)

Oh my gosh I forgot about that! That's definitely something I've heard recently, alongside people who firmly believe Zootopia's target audience was furries (when come on, it wasn't. Furries are such a small percentage of the population to matter).

Very much so! Having worked freelance with customers outside of the fandom, I can tell you I'd rather draw 20 furry commissions than one freelance project if I had the choice (unfortunately I don't, buuut in a dream world) because freelance stuff can be a nightmare. Granted, I have heard plenty of annoyances from furry commissioners, but generally it is a lot easier to work with. But the fandom additionally has so much to offer for my dreams, which is to eventually (try) to live off my comics. I know it's possible if you work hard enough and are responsible with your funds (and... dabble in porn). Maybe one day it can happen!

Ugh, seriously! Artists_Beware is there for a reason, but folks usually don't want to ruin an artists reputation or get hated on by the white knights, which I understand. But at the very least get the works you deserve. It not only hurts yourself, but it hurts others who follow behind you in commissioning the same terrible artists. There's more to an artist than their pretty art.

I would really like to try fursuiting sometime just to see if I'd like it. Although, even if I got into it, I'm sure I would have to rely on my own amusement and not that of others, as my friend who went to FWA mentioned people kinda ignore folks who don't have super cutesy suits, and my characters are not really under that definition. xD

Invader Zim fandom was constantly a hot mess, especially between "purists" and "non-purists". It was ridiculous. And same, every single fandom gets there. Bronies went there, Five Nights at Freddy's went there, Steven Universe still goes there, and Undertale is so large of a fandom I'm sure it's gonna do something soon, if it hasn't already. This is why I hate most fandoms and they have ruined my love for the thing they are fangirling over. I really dislike SU because of the nonsense that fan base spews out on a constant basis.

Aha that's awesome to hear! ;n; I think I'll like that a lot! Especially for a good first furcon. I only wish I knew more furries to room with. That hotel is expensive!

I have a mixture of incredibly similar feelings here. I have always expressed my issues with being in the community and considering myself apart of it. I did have a vent piece of my feelings here, but you explain it much better.

I will say, that my experience in a lot of communities has been generally incredibly positive, but this community has really, really soured not only my outlook of the community itself, but people in general. I feel like, while it may have the things every other community may have, it feels like the negative is concentrated because of how small the community is and how uncomfortable I feel with the excepted norms here. I've had some heartbreaking socializations IRL and online, but for me and my own personal experience, this one has definitely taken the cake on several occasions.

Friends in the community have recommended that it's not as bad as it seems, that I may take things way too seriously. Others tell me not really socialize that much beyond the core group of friends I already have. Some have told me to treat online interactions like they are meaningless and possibly cut down on online interactions. Some have told me I just need to find my niche, but to be honest, I don't think I ever will and I've only been inside the community properly since 2013. If I hadn't met a fur who told me there was more than sex, EDM, and lolz, I think I would've left the community then.

Other people have told me to leave the community if I'm gonna be super conservative or a bubble-burster for fantasies. Some have tried to encourage me to engage in acts or get artwork depicting things I have no interest in and feel super uncomfortable with. There is definitely a lot of interesting fetishy things prevalent here, but I've never felt as creeped out by a group as I have here. Especially since I've received a number of messages about my RL appearance as well. Now I know sometimes it's better not to show my face, but I don't post it and think I'll never stop getting the random message about how someone has a huge fetish about my ethnicity & stereotypes related to it. >w>;

I've also had some positive, life changing experiences. I feel more confident in my sexuality and gender. Even though I have complex issues when it comes to sex, I feel better for coming to terms with exploration and just comfort in my own desires. I do feel it's still private information for confidants or whomever I'm romantically involved with at the time. I've also began rediscovering my creativity that I'd lost due to poverty, lack of energy, and time outside of scraping for survival. I've discovered music, amazing designs and worlds and just wonderful creativity in this fandom.

One of the biggest things was having a version of myself that could cope with interacting with animals. You see, I'm afraid of animals and I kind of don't like anything about them IRL. I don't hate them, but I have no desire to be around them, take care of them or interact with them. Even with all that, I'd still try to feed a starving animal and call shelters to take care of it. As an anthro, I can safely explore the idea of being two natured, with mannerisms that a animal who is sentient and very similar to a traditional human. I find it fun and fascinating.

Another huge thing is the people I've met. Now, I don't feel like I've met more good people than bad, but the ones who I have that are good, are beautiful human beings. I met the love of my life through the community, best friends, people I've traveled to see, people I've gotten gifts for or/and gotten gifts for me. People I can talk to on webcam and plan to visit in person. I could cry with how fortunate I am to have met such amazing creatures. I wouldn't give it up for the world.

I'm at a crossroads though. There's a lot in the community that has had a huge negative impact on me and I hate it. I'm annoyed at how affected I am by it. I try to distance myself from most of it and generally stay vigilant about not getting too involved with certain aspects anymore. SL and replying to every single journal being one of them. I can't imagine not supporting certain artists and using art as a way of expression again though. The community at large has effected my life hugely, the good and the very bad.

I used to identify as a furry, since I, myself get to define what I feel makes me a furry. Now. I don't know really. I do tell people I am apart of the community and explain what I like about it and what I do in it. I feel it's important to be myself (I never hide any of my interests from anyone, especially if I feel it's a huge part of my life) and be open about it. I think it helps people realize that a community is multi-faceted and that the majority of what is seen isn't always how it is entirely. It probably helps I'm not into any suggestive, porn or fetish content, therefore making it easier to share it with people.

I mean, my kidlet has a sona, mostly because he wanted to be able to get pretty art with his mama. <3 LOL I just wish there was a place for him to go to be part of the community without having all the sexual, fetish, and violent stuff in his face. He's a teen, but as he's expressed to me, his teachers, and his own peers, he's interested in age-appropriate stuff and feels weirded out at adult stuff. Especially if another adult seems to be okay with it, 'Don't they know any better, mom?' xD

Sorry for the long winded reply! It's probably a crazy mess of noodles from my mind! Good luck reading all of it! 8D

Aha I read it all! 8D
It's totally chill to ramble. I know I ramble more than my fair share on a daily basis.

I can definitely feel for you on a lot of these issues. While I haven't necessarily met any individuals in the fandom that have changed my life (although some of them did end up joining the fandom later) I have met so many amazing individuals from the fandom. It's such an awesome thing. I feel that the furry community has influenced my life in so many ways, art especially. I can't really imagine myself doing artwork without anthros in it, and I know 100% that my artwork would have never grown to be what it is had it not been for furry influences. So I never regret being associated with the fandom, regardless if I label myself in it or not.

But yes, I have a lot of similar beefs. I have luckily not had nearly the experiences you have had (the RL photo comments sound... disturbing. And horrible.) but I do have a lot of bitterness towards the fandom. I told my friend in an above comments about how I dislike a lot of things about furries, namely how overly-forgiving they can be to individuals I don't think deserve forgiving. Namely enabling artists who abuse their customers. It's beyond annoying. There's one thing to give people second chances and another to be biased to artists because they are "popufurs". I have never been a fan of the way popular folks tend to behave when they get too arrogant, but their fanbases annoy me more than anything else. You get that in all fandoms, but I am routinely disappointed in furries.

And I agree with the adult side of the fandom as well. I don't mind fetishes or porn, but I'm not involved or interested in it. But it sucks that we are in a place where unless you draw adult material you don't get nearly the amount of attention. But, again, that's life in general. Sex sells. But I do wish there was a place furries could get involved without that side of it, but also not to the point you are considered childish either. I think that's why I tend to lean to favoring deviantART more than Furaffinity, but there's no hiding that aspect there either. At best you don't get the mature art, but you can't escape the personalities associated with it. And fetishes still run rampant on there.

Heh. Thanks! :D

Your art is amazing! :D You are so flexible. talented, and skilled! More disciplined than a lot of the artists I observe on the site. I feel as if you could tackle every kind of subject matter without it looking like other themes. :D

I think the biggest thing I struggle with is... I don't know if I can say this about many communities, but it feels as if there are a large number of people within the community that have never left the immaturity teenage/pre-teen stage and haven't really developed any or very little emotional, socializing, and reasoning skills. Sometimes it's very difficult to remember or see that there are indeed adults on this site. I'm not sure if it's because I may be jaded or, as someone called me, I'm just another Neurotypical who doesn't recognize or understand the behaviors of people unlike me. :/

But seriously, I once read a journal that kind of freaked me out and made me scared for the person. I can note you the story if you like.

The behavior on here when it comes to popular artists abusing their customers or people plying for sympathy even when they've done something wrong. The thing that rankles me the most is when I see people claiming their negative traits are because of XYZ and though they don't mean to do it, it's just HOW they are and that's that. It feels like they use a diagnosis or perceived issue to excuse their behavior and not apologize for it. Popular artists can become godlike to their followers and it's scary to see sometimes. Even if I've always liked them as a person, I cannot abide by bad behaviors. I will say, there have been some really popular artists that after commissioning them... I was shocked at their behavior. Bleh. I can note you screenie of one, I think you'd probably be surprised. LOL

Sex does sell and it will always sell well. However, I think the fact that I see it SO much in community... has really ruined my feelings towards. It's been a deeply concerning issue for me over time. I don't want to stop looking at or following artists here, but there's not many places with a reliable filter and/or many sites people stay completely up to date with their artwork on. It's a conflicting issue.

I also don't see as much diversity in styles or growth as an artist here either. I'm not sure if it's just people not posting the other work they do or if they genuinely just do whatever sells the most and don't stray from it for fear of 'losing watchers'. I really dislike how some people pressure artists into trying to create their particular theme with either money, peer pressure, or bad mouthing. :-/ It's like a amalgamation of bad behaviors that are rampant everywhere, but seem (at least to me, personally) more visible here.

Jeeez, I really agree with so much on this reply, especially.
Firstly, totally note me anything you'd like! I'm interested in anything cause I'm horribly nosey 8D

Thanks so much! ;n; Admittedly, I get discouraged a lot on here when I try to offer commissions and no one bites. I know I just need to increase my upload rate and advertise more... but it does get me down quite a lot when I feel my work is decent but nobody seems to think so enough to commission. My style is not outwardly unique, but I don't think it's bad. Alas, just need to experiment more on attracting folk without selling out! I want to be me in my work, no matter what.

But I 100% agree with both the immaturity of the people and also the lack of development artistically, as I've seen it too. Some of my all-time favorite furries, the ones that brought me into the fandom in the first place, have not improved or changed at all and it's been 12 years. They are still fairly successful in their craft and get a lot of profit from it, which I assume contributes to it, but it's admittedly disappointing to see artists with the exact same style and skill level as when you first saw them as a teeny-bopper. I feel artists often plateau in their development sometimes, I know it's happened to me, but often I feel artists get to a point "it works" and they stick with it or else develop insanely slowly. It's strange.

But the immaturity of folks... is pathetic. Pyro and I routinely find folks who use their anxiety or depression as an excuse for not getting work done. While I understand it completely and sympathize with it, frankly, if you can't handle yourself emotionally you shouldn't make your situation worse by doing loads of commissions. You're only spelling disaster for yourself and your customers. And it's horrible that their followers enable it by continuously telling them its okay and that they will keep waiting. I remember following someone who had a queue three years backlogged because they had health problems after health problems (all relating to their depression) that pushed back deadlines, but they kept taking on new commissions to pay bills. I feel that is incredibly irresponsible. And worse, when they finally did the 3-year-old piece, the commissioner didn't even remember commissioning them in the first place. It astounds me! We need to help our fellow artists with their problems, but I don't think feeding them money to continue enabling their lack of professionalism is the key.

And just generally, people who use their illnesses as excuses are pathetic. I've been manipulated by friends who used that excuse before, and it's sick. It's okay if you have struggles due to it, but be a responsible freakin' adult and find a solution (granted, it's easier said than done, but it's not impossible). You couldn't get by with these excuses in the real world, in a non-art job (or, hell, in a professional art job for that matter), and I feel it shouldn't be any different online.

Ahaha. I will do all the replying in a note then tomorrow. I need my bed now since it's nearly 1am here. xD

Labels are pointless, because they will never tell you everything about any person ever.

I'm no more proud to participate and be a part of the furry fandom than I am to be part of communities that enjoy video games. It's just stuff you LIKE, it's not WHO you are. If someone wants to call me a furry, I won't have any beef with them because it's honestly their loss if they think they can put me in a box, as I'll look forward to tearing through the box like tissue paper with the minimal effort it takes to be myself.

Honestly, if you don't feel comfortable with people talking smack about groups that you're part of, a bit of self-depreciating humor can go a long way. If someone were to say that all furries are trash, I'd smile and say: yep, we sure are trash. It's totally disarming and kills their presumptions about that group that'd they'd be so unaffected by such a comment and so open about it. After all, it's not like they can blame you for being 'aggressively furry' when they're the ones who brought it up in the first place.

That is incredibly true. While some furries heavily identify with the fandom and consider it a large part of who they are, I don't think it's necessary for everyone. The fandom has influenced who I am, but I don't feel it affects my lifestyle enough to deserve a label. The fandom has routinely supported me financially, which I am always thankful about, but outside of that and my interest in anthros I simply don't think it fulfills my life to a critical point. It's an awesome bit that I never want to get rid of, but it's not solely who I am.

Aha, and that's quite a good point. I don't want to be one of those "This is my life, deal with it" types, but I suppose there's nothing wrong with admitting the faults but encouraging the positives.

I mean, considering the weird shit that I like, I have no place to do anything but say 'yeah we're kinda fucked up' when someone talks smack, but knowing that there's someone there that they're ranting about sort of keeps things from getting ridiculously mean-spirited.

I'm very glad I'm not the only one, then. I can't imagine the sort of stuff that comes up in regards to the porn or fetishy stuff though. I never thought about it that way but... you're definitely right.

Indeed, same here. I'm not afraid to complain about the things I hate about the fandom, but furries are incredibly generous and amazing folks when it comes to helping out people financially. I don't make much off the fandom (mostly because I have no time to advertise it) but I would never take them for granted. They have helped me out more times than I can count, among my non-furry customers.

Maybe it's definitely possible to stick to the fandom online rather than online and offline.

I started to become a bit more "into" being a furry when I socialized with other furries IRL through meetups. A couple years ago I discovered there's a meetup in my city, and have since become decently close friends with a lot of the regulars. Fuck, I met my boyfriend through the same group, he just didn't show up regularly so he was a new face to me and we found out we are both huge PC gaming nerds through casual conversation while at a Denny's with the group. I guess when you have more people to influence you into a niche you're going to be more likely to identify as it? Hell, I was kind of open/excited to talk to my dad about going to my first furry convention (which was FC back in January). I figure he's not necessarily THRILLED about it, but it's better than being addicted to drugs. My (older) brother, on the other hand, is hilariously supportive because he loves costumes and nerd shit. He met a few of my friends while I lived with him and got to mess around with one of their fursuits and got like, "OH MY GOD THIS IS SO COOL" because yay, costumes!

I don't go out of my way to tell people I'm a furry and I used to be a lot more hush-hush about it. I'm pretty open and honest about it these days if they ask. I can get kind of defensive about it, but only when they try using extreme stereotypes like you mentioned. More so the, "We have perverts/weirdos, but you'll see that kind of person in ANY fandom/interest group" argument. I don't care if they don't like the idea of the fandom, but I find it silly to get angry that someone may have different hobbies/interests than you. I don't flaunt it in every aspect of my personality. I have a tail I sometimes wear to meetups, but only if I know other people would be dressing up, too (generally at actual events instead of just 'hey let's meet with other furries at a place').

tl;dr if you asked me if I was a furry I would probably say yes, unless it was a really professional/series IRL meeting like an interview or something where it'd go against me

Also a close friend of mine describes himself as a furry-fetishist if I recall right. It's not a title with pride or anything, more so for specifying. Basically he likes the art(and porn), but has little-to-no-interest in going to cons or socializing with other furries just for the sake of furry-ness. We'll show one another weird stuff (like the put-googly-eyes-on-butts-and-other-things game you and pyro play with me) or just talk about art/stories we find, but we have OTHER interests in common beyond that. But fetishist has a weird sound to it, so bleh. :b
So being "furry" doesn't necessarily have to be an all or nothing deal or whatever.

Also I apologize if this is shittily written, it's like 4:30 AM right now and I was dumb and forgot to go to bed sooner.

I also forgot to mention with the IRL thing it's a big hit-and-miss on if you meet decent people or not. I've gotten lucky and VERY unlucky. Like people grouping/touching/trying to pin you inappropriate (or being bitten in one case, I'm still kind of pissed about that - the dude left a mark for like a week or so). But on the flipside I've made some extremely close friends that are perfectly rational people, they just like to spazz out occasionally with me about animal-people or board games or tasty food or games on the internet. It sounds like a lot of the furs you've met are the undesirable sort that just let the fandom swallow their entire identity whole and that's all they can associate themselves with.

Like man, that just sounds so boring to do. There's so many things to be interested in and do in the world, you might as well attempt to give your life variety. In any fandom, hobby, or whatever; you gotta be wary of those that make that interest the biggest priority in their life. Those are the crazies.

There's a SCADfurs group here that we have debated trying but haven't gotten around to yet. I'm extremely hesitant just from my personal experiences with RL furries, but I keep telling myself it can't hurt to try it. At the very worst it'll be an insanely awkward experience I just don't have to attend again. >_>; I have never told my mom what furries are technically, but she knows I'm into "animal people" and she's aware of what fursuits are. I am pretty sure if I made a fursuit for myself she'd think it was cool. She is completely unaware of furries as a concept. My dad is too and he won't ever likely care to look into it aha.

And quite! I think I'm just super unlucky on top of the fact my personality just... doesn't fit with the typical furry personality? Like you talking about having friends that spaz out... I can't stand spazzing/fangirling so I'd get very awkwardly annoyed. Like, if I share an interest with someone I get excited in the "oh cool!!" way but not in the OH MY GOD AHHHH!!!! way that a lot of people do. When I'm in the room with someone that does that I kinda awkwardly smile like 8'D and inside thinking "oh my god stop you're embarrassing". I can't do that it drives me nuts! And I feel like that's all a Furry group would be. Maybe I'm just over-assuming but that's the "feel" I get from most furries as a whole. But it's not in the embarrassing "I don't want to be see with these people" type of embarrassment, just the... I feel embarrassed being there in general type if that makes sense.

I'm sure that I'm just regurgitating a lot of what other people have said, but here goes.

I don't think it's bad or wrong for you to feel like you don't belong in the fandom nor want to be associated with any label. Labels are unnecessary, and oftentimes fandoms are overrated.

My views pretty much align with yours. I enjoy "furry" or "anthro" art, and I'm a firm believer that anthropomorphic means so much more than what society instantly thinks of. (Hello, even movies like Lion King used anthropomorphic animals, but for forever everyone was just like "lol a movie about talking lions. Good stuff.")

You know what? If you don't want to be a furry, then you aren't one. You can like whatever you like, and not like whatever you don't like, and that's perfectly 100% wonderful. Don't let other people's viewpoint on what you are and are not cloud your mind, because frankly those people don't matter.

If you want to hear my standing, it's simple - I don't consider myself a furry whatsoever. I have absolutely no need or want to go to a con, nor suit up in an "Eyeless" costume. I have nothing against people who do, and I say if they enjoy it then GREAT and I hope that they continue to do it if it pleases them and not let society say that it's wrong (granted they aren't just following the ignorant stereotype). I enjoy drawing artwork of animals and creatures with animalistic features. Rarely will you see humans from me (which I should change), but that's just because I think that animals are so much more interesting to work with as a point of interest. They have lovely expressions, gestures, and their anatomy is so broad that it's hard to get bored with drawing animals and creatures of all kinds. Depending on the creature, their coloration can be an equally broad spectrum from brilliance to humdrum and everything in between. What's not to love?

Now on to the not so glamorous part of the conversation, which is the porn. Now it's no secret that sex sells, and that rule of thumb applies to most aspects of life, yeah? Marketing is huuuuuge on it, and we see scantily clad ladies everywhere eating burgers and slopping ketchup on their boobs to advertise food or laying on and around expensive cars for the same reason. Those are two very general and predictable examples, but you can see where I'm coming from. Shoot, a fair bit of my clients ask for NSFW pieces, and I give it to them because it pays. Do I necessarily enjoy it? Not entirely, but my clients are wonderful people who know what they want and are oftentimes very professional about it. I aim to serve my clients to the best of my ability, and if that means that I have to draw something that I'm not entirely comfortable with, then so be it. I will do it because I have bills to pay.

So riddle me this; what's different between say... <insert anime fandom here> that has raunchy fanfics written and artwork drawn within it versus the furry fandom? People go to anime cons and dress up to enact scenes and cosplay their favorite characters, so what's so different if someone "cosplays" as their own oc - which is simply a character as well?

I wish to reiterate that I am not a furry, but I will never stand by and let some ignorant person just bash the fandom without knowing what it really means. Being a furry doesn't mean that you're in to screwing animals. I have met some lovely and supremely creative people who claim to be furries, and I respect them just the way they are. I have also known strange people who belong to the furry fandom, but there are weird people in every single fandom in existence not to mention the freaky-deakys who don't belong to any fandom at all.

TL;DR: Live and let live. As long as whatever you're in to doesn't hurt anybody or anything emotionally, physically, etc, you're in the clear in my book. Besides, life's too short to be plain "normal" or average. Oftentimes the things that can be described as strange or different is just a spice to life.

I'm definitely with this opinion of "As long as they are having fun/enjoying themselves and aren't hurting anyone good for them" mentality. I may not be into all this stuff, or neutral on it, but that's fine. As long as they are happy that's all that matters. So I like to think it's perfectly alright for me to be interested but not accept the label.

I am exactly the same in the human vs. animal thing. I just really love the endless potential that anthros provide. Granted, I feel as if the furry fandom doesn't push the medium at all and sticks to a lot of comfort zones but that's also okay. It's not everyone's cup of tea and more generalized things sell way better than weird ones. More for me and others to try out! I love my human characters too, but I feel, after a point, there's so much you can do with humans. I regularly find characters from other artists that remind me of my own or straight up almost look like them. I've rarely gotten that with my animal or furry characters, even the super generic ones like my hare-sona. So it feels way more open for uniqueness, as fleeting as that is.

That's exactly the same point I mentioned in my journal. There are the same type of people in other fandoms as there are in furries. The only difference, to me at least, is that furry fandom is so large that there are all these other fandoms within the fandom (anime furs, brony furs, gamer nerd furs, etc.). So it's like a huge stack of fandoms on top of each others, which leads to more potentials of "cringe".

I draw furry art, I have a fursona, I like furry art, I like fursuits and stuff.. am I a furry for liking furry stuff?! I really don't know..

But I like fursuits just how I like plushies, and I would want one mostly to keep than to use, as I am very antisocial nowadays. (and I suck at taking good care of my stuff)

There are furries in brazil too but I never met one in real life so IDK ...

The best part about fursuits for me is the idea of being able to open up and do crazier things that you wouldn't do in person because you're concealing your face, the part of you that's most personal. So it takes away that awkward personal "judging space" and let's you be free to express yourself through a fake skin. I don't like when people rely on that for their happiness, but I do find it to be a positive experience for folks. I would have a lot of fun trying it out, even if I may not like it afterward (the sweaty/overheating/suffocating aspects of suiting are not so blissful to look forward to).

I know! It's just that I freeze when I am in public so I would not act 'in character'. it's part of my phobia. and it's very strong.
And none of my past psychologist tried to fix it...

and well, I don't have anything against fursuiting!