Why I Don’t Care About Being A Furry

There’s this thing a lot of furries do.

They’ll get really really nervous if someone “finds out” that they’re a furry. Yeah, “find out”, as if they’re like, coming out of the closet or something. As if they’re partaking in satanic rituals while living with Christians. As if they were sneaking out at night and going to parties while living with helicopter parents.

Okay, I think you get the idea.

Personally, I never really got that. I feel like I understand why people do it. But still.

My own trio of characters. Art by Clockwork Raccoon.

Quick, Hide the Fur!

To me, the furry fandom — folks who are fans of animal characters (that’s the best surface level definition I could forge) — almost seems ashamed of itself. As if this is something to hide away, to have shame in. Something you dare not let any non-furries (“normies”) find out about. And heaven forbid your parents!

Why do we hide this? Why treat this as if it’s some taboo, forbidden thing? Sure, sure there’s the general public’s view of it. But I think that’s slowly starting to shift.

Yeah sure, there was “That One CSI Episode” (it’ll give you “Fur And Loathing” if you search it, try it and let me know if it worked). And then those two gals that went on Tyra Banks. Oh, and don’t forget Vanity Fair! But those were how long ago?

Top ranking, no less!

Also let’s not forget this is the mass media we’re talking about here. They’re always looking to make things seem more…extravagant than they really are.

But should we really care what mainstream media thinks of us? Yeah sure, it influences “the normies” but again, why does that matter? Why can’t we, as a fandom, take back how we’re perceived?

I understand that some may have good, legitimate reasons to hide fandom activity. Maybe you’re in a conservative household and father will flip his wig to see you exploring your femboy side via your fox fursona.

Or maybe you do a lot of sexual artwork and make a killing off Patreon donations, but don’t want the others at the corporate office seeing what you do in your spare time.

That I totally dig. But I still feel like some people go way to far with it. A furry YouTuber almost went rounds with a friend of mine because they caught said YouTuber with their fursuit head off in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it-moment in one of their own videos and they were concerned people would “find out” about them.

Word of advice if you happen to be reading this but, when you act like that you draw attention to yourself. Streisand effect and all that. Which brings me to…

Putting It All on the Table

I guess I’ve never been one to do things wholly by the book. Throw furry into that too.

No, for real. I have my pen name on my LinkedIn. The same one used for Medium. The same one that’s linked to all my furry stuff. I even have some furry articles I’d written for The Game of Nerds and I also throw up my (furry) gaming YouTube videos on LinkedIn from time to time.

Mainly because I put a lot of time and effort into these things, and like hell I’m gonna let some niche fandom prevent me from showing it off. What, should I make a “safe for work” profile? The “LinkedIn Approved” profile that’s stripped clean of any fuzz?

I put a lot of time into these thumbnails. Art by ZappBeast.

The hell good is that gonna do? Get me a job wearing a mask that’s not me? That’s not based on the content I care about? That I pour my soul into?

I get that it’s risky. I’m far from the squeaky clean “fandom ambassador” some furries would love — mind you I’m not trying to be a fandom ambassador and could care less about it.

(As a side note the notion of the fandom even having one is ludicrous and shows people take this thing way too seriously)

You can look me up on Twitter and see me sporting a few risque outfits. Niko, my own fursona, had his trademark look involving fishnets and sparkly blue male short shorts for a while.

And don’t even get me started on Matthias, my effeminate, flirty mouse alter-ego.

This is one of his rare tamer pics. What a show-off.

Maybe it’s because I’ve never worked a corporate job. I’ve done retail all my life and to be honest, I don’t think the ASM at Wal-Mart is gonna not hire me over it.

Maybe if I was going into the “corporate world” I’d change my tune. Or maybe not.

We live our lives behind masks so much and I guess this is me pushing back against that notion. If I’m gonna work for someone who really has an issue with me being a funny bunny on the weekends…do I want to work for them anyway?

I’m just being on the level here.

But there is another element to this.

Go Ahead, Tell ’em My Name

As perhaps another reaction to fandom-norms, I have my IRL name linked with my furry name. I post furry stuff all the time on my “Personal” FaceBook, and there’s the above thing about LinkedIn.

I feel like a lot of the time trying to get their IRL name linked to their Internet activities is often weaponized. But you can’t do that to me. The two are already linked — you find my LinkedIn and bam, furry city. So there goes that.

But it’s also for peace of mind. By doing this I don’t have to worry about people “finding out” I’m a furry.

Gosh, typing that sentence feels weird. It’s a hobby not a forbidden lifestyle people! Would you get upset if your work found I dunno, your Battle.net account? Really?

Perhaps it’s just me absorbing too much from folks like Gary Vaynerchuck, who constantly preaches about going all in on what your passionate about, what makes you happy, and what’s really “you”.

And quelling the fandom like it’s something to be ashamed of? That’s not me. I don’t care how much you insult me and call me a “Furf*g” or try to diss my fishnets or say I might get fired over it. I can always get another job. Or just strike out on my own.

I mean, am I full on, no hold barred revealing everything about myself via furry?

No. Like, you won’t be able to find out what kinks I like. Or what I fave on FA.

But that’s less “squeaky clean brand ya?” and more “that’s kinda personal and I’d like to keep it that way.” I’m kinda old-fashioned like that and being out and open with that stuff just isn’t me.

(But if it’s you more power to you)

Figured I’d include Niko as well. Here he’s trying to play an arcade game.

In The End

Now, does every furry have to do this? Nah. I’m kinda experimenting. Letting the two intermingle.

And like I said above, if you’re in a situation where you feel that fandom activities might put your home life or job life at risk…well there’s no shame in that. Guard yourself and take care.

But I honestly feel like not all of us need to do that. And that really, people’s friends, families and so on being okay with furry is more common than we think.

I’d love to hear your thoughts though. Be you just some random passerby who’s just hearing about furries, or a fellow fur. I’d love to get a discussion going.