Introduction
In recent years, furries have taken social media by storm, and with this commotion comes the need to clarify what furries are and what they do.
Furry is a term describing people who are fond of anthropomorphic fictional characters. They do things like wear human clothes, speak like humans, walk on two legs, etc. The best example we can give is Sonic the Hedgehog is a popular fictional furry character.
Controversial ideas about furries are dominant in mainstream media. Due to this, there is a growing need to understand that furries at their core are just people who have an interest in anthropomorphic fictional animals.
The furry fandom has hobbies revolving around artwork related to furries. It includes creating digital art, cosplaying, creating fursuits, etc. You’d be surprised to learn more facts about the furry fandom and some famous people who are a part of it!
The Furry Fandom
The furry community, also known as the furry fandom, consists of individuals who express their individuality by relating themselves to an anthropomorphic fictional animal.
The community usually but not exclusively interact on discord servers, Facebook groups, and other social media platforms. The internet has allowed the furry fandom to connect with other like-minded individuals through various platforms.
In fact, the first furry community was formed in the 1990s when an online furry newsgroup came into being. Since then, the fandom has spread globally as numerous people have connected through mainstream media.
Furries and the arts are very closely tied. Some furries like to draw (hence the plethora of digital art you can find online) while some furries like to write stories about fursonas. In essence, the furry fandom has a broad spectrum encompassing numerous talented people looking to express themselves through various art forms.
A Group Of Fursuiters
Image via Outfront Magazine
What Are Fursonas?
Even if you’re new to the fandom, you must have come across the term fursona. Well, what is a fursona, and why do people associate themselves with it?
A fursona is a furry-themed avatar that a person identifies with. The avatar has human traits which precisely depict the person. Many people also use a fursona as their primary display picture on social media platforms.
Therefore, a fursona is a personalized anthropomorphic character created for the furry. These fursonas can also be an idealized version of a person or their digital mascot.
Mainstream media continuously advocates for self-expression and individuality. Regardless, many people are not open to the idea of furries. It is due to the many misconceptions regarding the stereotype around furries.
Online communities tend to face criticism. Unfortunately, the furries are also a victim of negative comments. Over the years, many people have formulated misconceptions that furries sexualize anthropomorphic animal characters.
Due to this, numerous people dislike furries. However, critics tend to be mad about the most insignificant things. Therefore, it’s best to learn more about furries by joining their community, as they are the friendliest!
In addition, some people like to believe that furries exclusively sexualize fursonas. However, fursonas are only a creative way to express individuality. Most people create a fursona to express their imagination, while others use it to introduce themselves to the furry community.
Commissioning a fursuit has never been so easy!
3 Famous People Who Are Suspiciously Like Furries
Furries are a part of a growing community that likes to express themselves with different forms of art relating to anthropomorphic animal characters. Many furries connect through Reddit, Twitter, Discord, and Instagram.
But you’d be surprised to know about some famous people who are a part of this community. Here are four famous people you probably didn’t know were furries.
Elon Musk
Tweet Source: https://i.redd.it/zaskafj9a4q21.jpg
You probably didn’t think that the pioneer of international space travel was a furry! Elon Musk, the chief engineer of SpaceX, is known to be a self-described fur-curious.
In a casual conversation, Musk took to Twitter to talk about furries. However, when a user asked if he belonged to the furry community, Musk denied it. Shortly afterward, he said that he might even be fur-curious. Of course this was probably a satirical comment made by the new owner of Twitter but it’s always fun to imagine.
This could be due to the people not responding well to his tweets. But we can get the hint that he doesn’t want to be crucified for being a furry on the internet! But we have yet to find out more about his fursona.
Elon Musk
Image via BBC
Shakira
Shakira, the queen of Latin music, is indeed a furry! This pop star released a music video for her song “She Wolf” in 2011. This song talks about letting your inner wolf out at night.
Many people refused to focus on the lyrics until she explained that she was talking about transforming into a wolf. Years later, during the Super Bowl performance with Jennifer Lopez, Shakira dressed in a red outfit, boots, and a wristband, twinning with her Zootopia character named Gazelle.
Zootopia features anthropomorphic fictional characters, including Gazelle, that bear a resemblance to Shakira. Shakira even confirmed that she identified with Gazelle, her fursona.
She said, “I just felt I needed identification with it, and I said to them, ‘Listen, this is me. Gazelle is me. I’m in. You can hire me now if you want!”
But Shakira has not faced backlash for identifying herself with Gazelle. Surprisingly, the Twitter audience appreciated her tweets and continued supporting Shakira. While she has never explicitly said that she is a furry, the evidence makes some pretty strong suggestions.
Shakira
Image via The Hollywood Reporter
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande, a pop icon indeed, belongs to the furry fandom! At best, she projects her inner furry on various events by wearing cat ears and furry outfits. Many furries also suspect that she may be a closet furry, as she hasn’t commented on the speculations yet.
However, liking furry posts on social media, licensing cat-ear headsets, and wearing furry outfits may be subtle hints of being supportive of the furry fandom. Regardless, she’s garnering the attention of furries as her fans continue to dress up in fursuits!
Ariana Grande
Image via Allure
Do All Furries Wear Fursuits?
According to a 2007 survey, only about 26% of people attending a furry convention owned a fursuit, while 30% reported having worn one.
Another survey consisting of 2000 furries concluded that only about 25% of furries dress up in a fursuit. That leaves you wondering what 75% of people do if they do not wear a fursuit.
Well, the furry community is a diverse group with different forms of art as expression. Therefore, it is wrong to assume that all furries wear fursuits.
The furry fandom has numerous ways of expressing individuality, creativity, and fondness. This includes having a digital fursona, clothing, or even accessories. However, having a fursona is one of the most common ways of self-representation in the furry fandom.
Why Do People Create Fursonas?
The furry fandom is an ever-growing community with thousands of members. In this large community, members must have different self-representation ideas, which becomes increasingly difficult. Fursonas are a fantastic way to represent yourself at conventions.
Besides this, many people create fursonas to express their imagination. They don’t intend on using the fursona but simply create them as food for thought, while others make fursonas to bring their character to life by turning them into a fursuit.
In addition to this, the growing community of furries has increased the demand for fursonas. Therefore, many artists make a collection of fursonas to earn a commission. As a result, the artists in the community are able to make decent money by utilizing their creative skills.
Should You Create a Fursona?
Fursonas are a fun way of expression, creativity, and self-representation. Even if you’re not an active part of the furry community, having a fursona solely for yourself can be a fun way of associating oneself with fictional characters!
The best part about fursonas is that you can customize them according to your liking! All you have to do is share the details about your fursona.
Choose colors, species, names, and poses. Next, an artist will create a draft of your fursona for you to review. If you want to make changes, you can request edits.
Once satisfied with the design, you can receive your finished fursona at your email address!
Final Words
It is time to unlearn the misconceptions about fursonas and embrace your inner furry! With numerous platforms accommodating the furry fandom, you can now easily become a part of the community by joining an online group.
If famous people like Shakira are openly furry, it’s thought-provoking for closet furries to join the fandom now because being a furry does not come with rules. If you’re fond of anthropomorphic animal characters, you simply count as a furry!
