Furries: The biggest question – Why?

I’ve copped a fair bit of flak in the past year and half. The people that don’t, can’t or won’t understand my affinity for anthropomorphic animals, the associated art and the joy of “fursuiting”. Today, I give an insight into why I joined this wacky group of people who dress up as animals.

It was January 2014. I had jumped into my fast little car for a run up to the Sunshine Coast with a couple of friends for a little Sunday cruise up to a beachside park for a barbeque, incessant talking about motorised shenanigans and a couple of drinks. I had no reason to believe that it was going to be a day that would mark a fork in the road of my life, especially a fork that would lead to a subculture that I had barely looked over or even registered as a blip on my radar of consciousness.

Just as I’d expected, I arrived after an hour long drive to our destination and began setting up. There was a couple of gazebos, a wealth of fold out canvas armchairs and more conversation topics than you could shake a stick at. But then, I noticed it. Another friend of the group appeared out of nowhere wearing a brown and white costume, incredibly well made and very emotive. I was transfixed. I hate staring so I carried on like I hadnt noticed but could help but steal glances here and there, curious but also a touch unnerved. How do I interact with someone in an animal costume? Its actually fairly confronting if you’ve never seen it before and its a good way to be introduced as it gives you an idea how passerbys feel when they see you.

Eventually I had a small talk to him, just getting basic information before letting him do his thing through the day, even visiting a fish and chip shop dressed up! Later that night I looked him up and got to messaging him, delving deeper into the mystery of what I’d seen that day, asking questions and surprising myself by realising it was something I wanted to be a part of. I searched the sites, found myself amazingly engaged by the art and in general, getting a great vibe from what I could see of the community.

Fast forward to now and my life and persona are markedly different. I now have two suits: Tundran and Riot that Ill go into detail about at a later date, I have made a vast swathe of new and amazing friends worldwide, an amazing partner who is everything I’ve ever dreamed of and I’ve done far more travelling in the last 12 months alone than the last 12 years, with my first international flight in December!

So. To answer your question why, its for the fun, the friends, the travel, the wild parties, the joy you see in a childs eye out in public acting for them, the art, the community and the lifestyle. I wouldn’t have my life any other way.