Furry Fandom As Identity Conceptualization

In the past week we’ve learned a lot about identity. Identity is seen as a symbolic marker, and traditional view of identity as unchanging and singular has been replaced with a contemporary view that sees identity as more flexible and fluid. Furthermore, identity is both personal and social, and one individual’s identity can be formed by how they think others see them: the idea of the looking-glass self.
 

Identity play is the concept of pretending to be something else, which can free the player from constraints. Enter the furry community. A new article from The Guardian focuses on the role of identity in the furry subculture.

Furry fandom is often dismissed as simply a sexual fetish, but this is a misconception. Social psychologist Kathleen Gerbasi says this view "really doesn’t represent the reality [she] see[s] in the fandom.” In reality, furries can be as sexual or not as any other subculture.

Samuel Conway is a chairman of Anthrocon, a convention for all things anthropomorphic (including, of course, furries). “Furry fandom is unique among fan cultures in that we are not consumers, but rather creators,” he says. And it seems that furries are creating identities that they feel they may, in fact, need to have. In a study, 29% of furries reported experiencing being a “non-human species trapped in a human body".

Fursuit makers put serious effort into their work and their suits can sell for thousands of dollars. "Master fursuit maker" Sarah Dee explains the furry lifestyle: “What draws people in is that they can create this character which is a better version of themselves,” she explains. “It’s fun to just be silly, to use your imagination. To not have to conform to what people think being an adult is like.” For most, Dee believes, furry fandom is more about escapism than anything else. "It gives them anonymity to just be who they are and act how they want,” she says. 

So furries use identity play to free themselves of the constraints of being a "normal" adult, and in turn create "a better version of themselves". Almost a third of them identify as non-humans feeling "trapped", so surely their fursuits must relieve a fair amount of anxiety and personal discomfort. The constraints they are thus freed from suggest more than just "play" in their identity construction. Also, when they gather as a community (the last Anthrocon saw over 6,000 attendees), their social identity could boost their morale and make them feel like better people. Using the looking-glass self perspective, it makes sense why furries gather in communities: their identity construction is validated by other furries, whereas they may feel shunned or pegged as "freaks" by those who misunderstand the furry subculture (arguably the vast majority).

I only have one small issue with furries: I don't support the use of real fur to make costumes or dress. I think the fur trade is often harmful for real animals. Still, plenty furries simply can't afford intricate costumes and use something simpler like fake fur. Otherwise, this article, combined with theories of identity conceptualization learned in class, really help me to understand why furries do what they do. Sure, their subculture is unconventional and it isn't particularly inviting to a normie like myself, but it is creative and fairly harmless. If furries feel more comfortable constructing their personal and social identity as animals in costume, I say more power to them.