Hello fuzzbutts!

Stuff keeps making the rounds on Twitter lately so I wanted to take some time to talk about the image of furries.

It’s no secret that people outside the fandom look in on furries and see cringe. I see it too! Furries see it enough that we’re supposedly one of the hardest groups for the media to reach now. A friend of mine who spoke to the media regarding a criminal case in SoCal told me the journalist said furries are harder to get a hold of than violent gang members. Whatever the press hears about is usually negative so they report the negative and the cycle continues.

So a few things to improve the furry image.

Less cringe

First up is being less cringe-y in general. Be more social and encounter more people. Reserve yourself a bit when out in public. Recognize that people will think you’re odd right off the bat but acting insane around people will give them a negative impression. The whole “Who cares what they think?” attitude is pretty big in this fandom but at the same time they’ll complain the media is what makes us look bad. So realize that the meetups and cons aren’t as much of a bubble as you think and that your actions contribute to the outside world’s view of furries as a whole.

Engage

The media! Don’t answer anything weird (asking about zippers on fursuits) but if it’s a decent question then answer it reasonably. Considering things like CSI or MTV portrayed us like some kind of sex cult, it’s not unreasonable to think the media might be genuinely curious if that’s true. Then again, they can’t report that if you don’t actually suggest that! Remember that anyone you talk to is considering you a representative of the fandom so behave in a way that shows the rest of us in the best light. Not just the person you’re speaking to but if it’s on video, you’ll be the representative to anyone who sees the video!

Ostracize

What? Yeah. There’s too many reports lately of certain furries being very involved in the fandom who turn out they have a criminal record or engage in the worst kinds of activities. Don’t want people to think actual animals are a sexual fetish? Banish any furries who engage in it! Good grief! This is the biggest thing in the fandom that bothers me. We’re so concerned about our image but too many will rush to the defense of a popular (or even unpopular) furry who engages in something so heinous! Same with those who engage with those who are below the age of consent! Eeek! Why are they allowed to run around in our circles?! It’s not a massive fandom like comic-con where tends of thousands of people show up at once. Yet they still are allowed to show up to cons and even be volunteers for activities at the cons. No! Stop that! *Baps with newspaper*

So these are just a few things I’ve had rolling around in my head lately as I see Twitter continue to explode on some of the drama lately. If improving the fandom and the image of the fandom is one of your ongoing goals, this should help a bunch!

Good luck and stay safe, fuzzbutts!