I'm here to try to explain what furry is. I have been in the fandom for a long time ever since it started and took off in the late 80's early ninety's, I have been going to Conventions and meeting all kinds of folks for over 15 years now, many good, some bad, and some not all there, but it has given me an understanding about the furry fandom that i think will try to explain what it is.

Let's start with the most infamous question in the fandom... "What IS furry?"

As it turns out this is not an easy question to explain it never has been and it never will be.

I can only do my best here to provide you with the understanding of each facet of the furry subculture phenomenon.

When broken down to it's most basic component, furry is anthropomorphic animals. but just saying that brings up an underlying question, what is anthropomorphic? which must be answered first before the main question because it leads to the basis of the furry subculture.

Anthro-po-mophic:

• derived from the word anthro meaning "human" and "morph" meaning to be transformed
• Anthropomorphic means to give human like characteristics to animals or objects
• Example: Walking and talking furniture, A talking wise cracking rabbit. Most people stick with animals although the definition also applies to inanimate objects as well.

From this came many of the cartoons and stories we have all grown up with and many people see themselves in animals and in these characters that we have grown up with for various reasons.

Many consider themselves cunning like foxes, or loyal like the wolf, others just like being a raccoon because the admire such an adaptive charismatic creature, what ever the reason may be they are all personal to that individual, but the tie to an animal still remains a constant in the subculture be it mythical such as dragons and unicorns or real ones.

It is this reason that many in the subculture have call themselves "furry" or "furs" for short. But the definition of what furry is not as simple as that, hard to believe but the definition of furry itself evolves constantly within the subculture into many different versions of what furry is. The only one tie that they usually have in comon is that they all tie themselves back to animals or primal instincts. In essence is has reversed itself and instead of animals having human characteristics as the definition of anthropomorphic states, in reality animals and primal instinct are the influence for the change in humans, this is part of how "furry" works.

There are other factors that make something "Furry" many that are talented express these influences with art and drawings, music, dance, crafts, and costumes along with a multitude of other things. Sexual desire, lust, companionship, loneliness, joy, fear and anger often like in people are expressed in many constructive ways, for example:

Many artists draw sexual desires and situations in characters they draw, the fact that they are anthropomorphic animals means nothing at times it's just an extension of who they are, this is not new thing, sculptors of rome and greek times often did it in statues. But this also is true for comedy, anger and loneliness.

Many often dress up in costume because they feel confined in the everyday world they live in, and it is an outlet for freedom, if you hopped around in public and just felt like acting silly, some would be embarrassed, it's simply how they were raised in their family structures, costumes help release stress and anxiety because you can act differently and be more who you want with the safety of anonymity.

And I have also noticed that the composition of music and danceing in the subculture for many furs is a release of emotion, stress, anger and energy.
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To the people who don't understand what furry is, this can all be quite strange and has often resulted in a negative public view. That misunderstanding along with "radicals" in the subculture that often do things for attention good or negative, give many people a distorted view of "furry" both people who end up becoming an enthusiest and also those who ridicule the subculture.
Some people don't like to be called "furs" for these reasons, even though they draw anthropomorphic animals and make items relating to this subculture. But the fact still remains that people are attracted to the subculture becuase it has an effect on them in ways that are not easy to understand.