No problems with them at all. In fact, they seem like a pretty damn cool group of people, and I wish them the best. ;) But then again, I might be a bit biased there~
But like... it's weird for me. I go back and forth on whether I'd actually consider myself a furry or not, since I'm not really involved in the community anyway whatsoever. Like, not only do I not go to conventions or anything, but I don't even follow any artists or anything. So it feels weird to describe myself that way, even though I would love to go to conventions and have my own suit commissioned (probably something based around a Pokemon like Krokorok or Tyrantrum in my case, if that type of thing actually counts, hahaha xD). Just seems like a bunch of fun to me, really, so I'd love to get involved, someday. But for the time being at least, I'm not really involved in any way whatsoever, so it feels weird to actually describe myself that way.
But yeah, that aside, absolutely no problems with them and it just saddens me how many misconceptions there seem to be around the entire idea and how convinced so many people seem to be that the whole thing is just one giant fetish or all about sex, when the reality is that that's really just a small part of it. I mean, I'm sure it happens. Ain't going to deny that. It definitely does, and there's nothing wrong with that. But that's far from the
main focus or appeal for most people, and is not much different from any other conventions in that type of way: it happens, but not really more or less than anywhere else or in any other type of community.
Just from what I've gathered just by listening to those who are involved, furry conventions and the like really don't sound that much different from stuff like say PAX or whatever--just a bunch of people hanging out who happen to have some interests in common, with some in costume, but most not due to the cost/difficulty of a good suit which is naturally going to be out of reach for most people (same with the most intricate and detailed cosplays in video game and anime conventions--most people don't actually go to conventions like PAX in full cosplay and of those that due, those with fully decked out costumes that have the most work put into them are in the minority due to how expensive and time consuming those are to make. Most people are just there to hang out.
And I mean, I can't blame people for being ignorant of that. But it does make me wonder how those stereotypes of everything involving furries somehow involving sex or fetishes got started to begin with. That, and it's one thing to be mistaken about things you genuinely have no clue about. But if you genuinely have no idea about something or some community or another, wouldn't that be reason to ask questions instead of assuming the worst about them all just being weird perverts with some weird fetish and having terrible social skills, and the like. That's what I really don't get. If people don't know anything. That's fine, you don't know what you don't know. But why assume the worst anyway in that case instead of trying to find out what the deal is exactly and do your best to try to come into the discussion with as little baggage as possible? That's what always just kind of bothers me about these discussions. I know most people probably don't actually mean to much by it, and I want to assume the best of their intentions and that it really is just due to having no idea what is and is not true, but still.
In any case, either way, yeah, no problems here and I wish anyone who considers themselves to be one the absolute best. ^__^
I think what gets me about furries is that most(?) people who are into it seem to define themselves as a person around being a furry. It's not simply a fandom but a lifestyle. I think that's where it starts getting weird to me. I mean, I like wrestling but if someone tells me wrestling is stupid, it doesn't offend me on a personal level. I don't define myself as a person around 1 hobby or interest. When people start doing that for ANY hobby, I think it can be unhealthy and strange.
Yeah, I don't think that's very accurate at all. It's really, really not a lifestyle for most furries at all. Just a fun hobby to indulge in at times, at that's all. It no more defines them than video games define gamers, anime defines anime fans, or any other form of entertainment. It's just a hobby for most, that's all. Those who that thoroughly and completely define themselves by it are definitely in the minority, like any other hobby.
While we're on the subject of fursuits, I guess I should post mine. Now, maybe my perception is completely off, but I don't think it's very creepy.
vs what I look like irl:
Just wanted to say, your suit looks great. Really like it. ^_^
