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A few weeks ago, I was invited by my friends in Atlanta to go out to a club for a night of drinking and dancing (imagine that!). For them, though, it was a night for suiting.
The owners of the club were familiar with my friends, and knew that they were fursuiters. My friends had worn their fursuits at the club before, and were a huge hit with everyone there. This time, my friends were actually ASKED by the owners of the club to come back and suit again. In exchange, they each got into the club at no charge, and were even given a couple of free drinks (including their photographer!).
We all had an absolute blast, and my friends were CONSTANTLY swamped in people wanting to dance with them, people wanting their picture taken with them, and people just wanting a closer look. Of course, me being their photographer (and therefore obviously "with them"), I had people asking me questions all the time. "What are they?" "Where did they get those costumes?" "Don't they get hot in there?" "Will you take my picture with them?"
So that night, I pulled double-duty as both a photographer and a representative of furries. It was quite fun really, getting a chance to try to explain these crazy shenanigans to people who had never seen such a thing before. I mean, who wouldn't be curious about the guys running around in animal costumes?
One thing is for sure though, everyone adored them. People were constantly trying to get their pictures taken with my suiter friends, and most not even asking me to send a copy of the picture to them. I hate that they're never going to see the photos, but I guess it just wasn't that important to them. For them, maybe it was just something fun to do in the moment. Maybe just knowing that that moment has now been captured forever is enough for them.
The photo above is one of those captured moments, starring
Frisbee and a random club-goer.
I would do that night all over again in a heartbeat.
The owners of the club were familiar with my friends, and knew that they were fursuiters. My friends had worn their fursuits at the club before, and were a huge hit with everyone there. This time, my friends were actually ASKED by the owners of the club to come back and suit again. In exchange, they each got into the club at no charge, and were even given a couple of free drinks (including their photographer!).
We all had an absolute blast, and my friends were CONSTANTLY swamped in people wanting to dance with them, people wanting their picture taken with them, and people just wanting a closer look. Of course, me being their photographer (and therefore obviously "with them"), I had people asking me questions all the time. "What are they?" "Where did they get those costumes?" "Don't they get hot in there?" "Will you take my picture with them?"
So that night, I pulled double-duty as both a photographer and a representative of furries. It was quite fun really, getting a chance to try to explain these crazy shenanigans to people who had never seen such a thing before. I mean, who wouldn't be curious about the guys running around in animal costumes?
One thing is for sure though, everyone adored them. People were constantly trying to get their pictures taken with my suiter friends, and most not even asking me to send a copy of the picture to them. I hate that they're never going to see the photos, but I guess it just wasn't that important to them. For them, maybe it was just something fun to do in the moment. Maybe just knowing that that moment has now been captured forever is enough for them.
The photo above is one of those captured moments, starring
Frisbee and a random club-goer.I would do that night all over again in a heartbeat.
Category Photography / Fursuit
Species Dog (Other)
Size 1280 x 914px
File Size 213.2 kB
Indeed :) I think furries (and those that don't like them) tend to highly overestimate just how much society shuns their behavior. True, there's plenty of them out there, and they're most evident on the internet. But the fact is that, if anything, the random person out on the street is just simply curious. Sure they may think it's a little weird, and that's because it really is a little weird. Most of those people seem to find that weirdness to be pretty fun, actually.
At least that's been the case with nearly all of my experiences of seeing fursuiters interact with the local population. :P
At least that's been the case with nearly all of my experiences of seeing fursuiters interact with the local population. :P
Thank you very much :)
I was honestly surprised at the number of people that simply asked for me to take their picture, even without a fursuiter, and then never asked for my contact info or anything. They just.. wanted their picture taken. I couldn't really wrap my head around it at the time, and I think I still have difficulty doing so. I guess maybe it just added to the experience for them, even if they never see the resulting photograph.
I was honestly surprised at the number of people that simply asked for me to take their picture, even without a fursuiter, and then never asked for my contact info or anything. They just.. wanted their picture taken. I couldn't really wrap my head around it at the time, and I think I still have difficulty doing so. I guess maybe it just added to the experience for them, even if they never see the resulting photograph.
I guess it depends on how inquisitive they're being. If it seems like they're just wondering what's going on, usually I'll simply respond that making and dressing up in these animal costumes is just simply a hobby that these friends have in common, and how doing so is an interesting and fun activity for them. If the person asking the question continues to show interest and wants to know more, I'll start getting into how there's actually thousands of people across the world who are actively into this hobby as well. If the conversation continues on, I'll get into how this hobby is actually just a small subset of a very large group of people who identify themselves as "furries", and explain how, in the broadest sense, a "furry" is someone who expresses a unique and passionate interest in anthropomorphics, just the same as Trekkies express a passionate interest in Star Trek. Therefore, these people that you see dressing up in fursuits are really just the same as a Trekkie dressing up as a Star Trek character; you don't HAVE to dress up to be a Trekkie, just as you don't HAVE to fursuit to be a furry.
I like using the Trekkie analogy because a Trekkie is usually something that the person is familiar with, and really helps them develop an ACCURATE idea of what a furry is and what fursuiting is, and how the two are NOT mutually inclusive.
Basically, it's not going to be possible to sum everything up in a single sentence to the person. You have to be prepared to have a conversation with them, and give them bits of pieces of information as they ask, rather than dump the entire idea of what a furry is on them all at once.
That's been my approach at least. It's worked pretty well so far. :)
I like using the Trekkie analogy because a Trekkie is usually something that the person is familiar with, and really helps them develop an ACCURATE idea of what a furry is and what fursuiting is, and how the two are NOT mutually inclusive.
Basically, it's not going to be possible to sum everything up in a single sentence to the person. You have to be prepared to have a conversation with them, and give them bits of pieces of information as they ask, rather than dump the entire idea of what a furry is on them all at once.
That's been my approach at least. It's worked pretty well so far. :)
very cool that works. I always have a hard time in explaining things simply when I am confronted. My husband isn't a furry and really has a hard time especially when it's friends asking. That really helped I have asked a few people now but that is the most logical short answer ever definitely will use that.
As an avid fursuiter, and someone that goes out in public here in Columbus OH on a regular basis, THIS is the exact place I start. First it's "we do this just for fun, as a hobby" when we get asked. Usually the random bar patrons we get on the strip don't ask further than that, but I think I am going to follow your exact model for questioning and such. As a Trekkie also, I can say i identify with your analogy very much. x3
I'm a Trekkie, but I don't take it all the way to cosplay...
Just like I'm a
Furry, but... Oh wait... I do take that all the way :>
I think the way you describe it is good. Furries, in one way or another, are people that like anthropomorphics, which is animals with human quality, like walking and talking.
I'm a Trekkie, but I don't take it all the way to cosplay...
Just like I'm a
Furry, but... Oh wait... I do take that all the way :>
I think the way you describe it is good. Furries, in one way or another, are people that like anthropomorphics, which is animals with human quality, like walking and talking.
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