Get your furry on
Hat tip to Army of Dad for "turning me on" to this story. *snickering*
We first heard about these things on an episode of CSI. But, this is funny.
Fox News has a story on the 'Furry' Convention in San Jose, Calif.
Here is the AP story:
The city is hosting a convention this weekend of about 1,700 "furries" — people who love animals so much that they take on their identities and sometimes dress up like them.
Part costume party and part role play, Further Confusion, or FurCon, gives grown-ups a place to act out their inter-species fantasies.
The convention includes workshops on such things as puppetry, costume making, writing about mythical creatures and "furry anatomy."
Many of those attending participate in Internet chat rooms for "furries."
"But just because it's weird, it's still perfectly normal to the people involved in it," said raccoon wannabe Lee Strom, 36, of San Leandro, one of the event's founders.
Prancing through the lobby of the Doubletree Hotel as a fox among goats, tigers and other animals, Katie Matthew, 20, said she likes the fun of dressing up and escaping into her made-up animal character, which she calls Shadow and has written about in stories.
"It allows me to be someone I'm not,' she explained. "It allows me to step out of everything."
Wow. There really is a fetish for everything.
More FurCon pics can be found here.
We first heard about these things on an episode of CSI. But, this is funny.
Fox News has a story on the 'Furry' Convention in San Jose, Calif.
Here is the AP story:
The city is hosting a convention this weekend of about 1,700 "furries" — people who love animals so much that they take on their identities and sometimes dress up like them.
Part costume party and part role play, Further Confusion, or FurCon, gives grown-ups a place to act out their inter-species fantasies.
The convention includes workshops on such things as puppetry, costume making, writing about mythical creatures and "furry anatomy."
Many of those attending participate in Internet chat rooms for "furries."
"But just because it's weird, it's still perfectly normal to the people involved in it," said raccoon wannabe Lee Strom, 36, of San Leandro, one of the event's founders.
Prancing through the lobby of the Doubletree Hotel as a fox among goats, tigers and other animals, Katie Matthew, 20, said she likes the fun of dressing up and escaping into her made-up animal character, which she calls Shadow and has written about in stories.
"It allows me to be someone I'm not,' she explained. "It allows me to step out of everything."
Wow. There really is a fetish for everything.
More FurCon pics can be found here.
9 Comments:
At 6:38 AM, January 20, 2005,
Army of Mom said…
It is weird, but whatever floats your boat.
It comes in pints had a big thing, for a while, about plushies - those are folks with a thing for stuffed animals. Scary, I know.
At 4:34 PM, February 20, 2005,
Anonymous said…
Well, at least they don't think that CSI somehow accurately depicts real life...
At 7:46 AM, March 21, 2005,
Anonymous said…
Riddle me this, have any of you ever wanted to escape the pressures of you life every once in awhile without turning to drugs? I don't use fursuits but, being in the military, every once in awhile I enjoy meeting some of my frend at a Con. I must admit I do tease them a tad bit, but to me I find them a lot easier to relax around after coming back stateside then a bunch of people who have drug addictions or are just this side of insane. I don't mean to come off as rude, but take time to try and understand a bit of the underside of furry fans. Humans have always been interested in animals. Look at the native americans and the egyptians. Being a furry enables you to be more expressive in your feelings than "being a human", so to speak.
At 4:56 AM, April 07, 2005,
Anonymous said…
I agree with Anonymous "Riddle me this" I think most people could be considered furry whether they choose to call themselves that or not. Most mascots are some type of animal whether real or imaginary. And many people still love disney-type movies with animal characters in lead roles. Furry can be anything from loving stories with animals as the main character (a theme in so many children's books that it's no wonder people carry their love of animals including fantastically intelligent animals into their adult lives) to liking to dress up as animals it can even have its base steeped in cultural beliefs such as totems in Native American as well as African societies. People are always looking for some escape from day to day living; isn't reading/watching books/shows/movies about furries (liking to read/watch about tall rabbits walking around on two legs getting little black ducks into trouble), wearing costumes (a lot of people dress up as animals at halloween--especially in places that go all out for the occasion--Lahaina,HI for example), or considering certain animals to be personal spirit guides such as in many Native American societies better than drugs and drinking? Why do people think it is wrong or "bad" to be different? Yes CSI showed a dark side to furrydom but there's a dark side to everything. Take law enforcement for example: there have been those officers who've done things to get them kicked off the force and worse...or another example would be the certain priests doing naughty things. My point being that just because some people in a certain group have been caught doing bad things, doesn't necessarily make the group as a whole bad. And though I'm not into it myself, what is so scary about people who are into plushies? At least they don't harm real people--sometimes I wonder about people's priorities.
At 10:00 AM, April 07, 2005,
Army of Mom said…
Anonymous commenters, if you get this go to my post today April 7, 05 and check out the latest.
I don't see anything wrong with it. My only comment is that it is weird to ME. I'm sure the things I do in my bedroom might make your hair curl, too, and be weird to you. To each his own. As long as no one is getting hurt, who cares?
At 3:28 PM, January 21, 2006,
Anonymous said…
Don't believe everything you watch on television. That CSI episode is one of the worst things to ever have happened to furry community. A mockery!
At 6:07 PM, April 07, 2009,
Anonymous said…
The thing is, Army of Mom, is not that you said it was weird - which it is - but that you repeatedly call it a fetish as if that's all it is. For many people it may be a fetish and that alone but for many it isn't a fetish at all, or not primarily so.
It is this aspect that I think is most worthy of comment and some criticism. Yeah, we're weird, we know that, but to just call it a fetish or to believe everything you read or see on TV (not that you do), is oversimplifying. (and although it's not a complete mis-characterization of the Furry Fandom, it can be misleading)
As I'm sure you know, most of the time the things people pick out to make into a story are the most extreme or most entertaining aspect of a subject. I don't really have a problem with the article, but it does come off as misunderstanding something slightly more complex that it seems on the surface.
I wouldn't ask you to change anything about the article as it is your opinion. (although it may be an opinion based on first-impressions, which the Furry Fandom is very bad at, lol)
At 6:09 PM, April 07, 2009,
Anonymous said…
["It allows me to be someone I'm not,' she explained. "It allows me to step out of everything."
Wow. There really is a fetish for everything.]
This is a good example of a misunderstanding - where did this person who was quoted make any mention of sexuality being involved in their interest in furry?
I'm sorry if I'm commenting too much. (my second post)
At 7:16 PM, April 07, 2009,
ConnorWuff said…
I promise this is my last post here unless I'm asked a question you want me to respond to, I just wanted top provide a link that I thought was actually one of the few good descriptions of "furry" I've been able to find on the interwebs.
http://us.vclart.net/vcl/Authors/Lightflow/furry.htm
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