For many years, fans of sci-fi and anime have dressed in costumes depicting their favorite characters for conventions, but one increasingly popular fandom is getting a bit hairy.
Being a “furry” can have a different meaning for each person, but mechanical engineering sophomore Angela Balis considers a fairly universal definition to be someone who likes the idea of an anthropomorphic animal, with human characteristics and personality traits attributed to animals.
Balis and wildlife ecology sophomore Michael Brown are involved in a group along with about 20 to 30 other members of the local furry community called Louisiana Furs.
Balis and Brown said they only know of three active members at the University, but the term “furry” is widely known. Balis said for every person involved with the community, there are two or three more who are familiar with the culture.
References to the furry culture seem to focus on fetish-based sexual acts, as has been the case with references on “30 Rock” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” but local members of this community said this is a misrepresentation.
Brown cites bad publicity for this misconception. He said people tend to be afraid of something different or what they don’t understand, and they draw their own conclusions.
“The idea that sex sells is definitely driving us down,” Brown said.
Balis said some reporters get caught up in chasing a story that isn’t an accurate portrayal.
“In any fandom there are going to be people doing creepy or weird things,” Balis said.
Brown said the fear of being cast in a bad light by the media is a reason the misconception is common. He said members of the furry community are hesitant to talk to reporters and afraid of readers taking things out of context.
“We’re not a cult. We’re not anything to be afraid of. We’re just a group of people that like to have fun,” Balis said.
Brown said he considers the fandom to be an art form, with members drawing, designing costumes, performing and writing or composing music.
Brown was intrigued by the community after he discovered “fursuiting,” a term used to describe furries who dress in full anthropomorphic animal garb.
He said he saw videos of people wearing fur suits in public and thought the concept was hilarious. He said he likes seeing people’s faces brighten up when he walks past them.
“I may have made their day,” Brown said.
Balis said the fandom is unique because members create their own look instead of trying to copy a specific character. She said some members have their own character — a “fursona” — that they create.
Balis’s fursona is an orange, tabby house cat with fluffy ear tips nicknamed “Zephy” that she described as extremely curious and easily distracted.
When in costume, Brown goes by the name “Darkmayne,” a happy and hyper lion he said acts silly. Brown said his actual personality is superimposed on his fursona, but his fursuit acts like a barrier and allows him to be more outgoing than he normally would.
“It’s kind of hard to have stage fright in a suit,” Brown said.
Like many members of the community, Brown prefers not to speak while in costume. He said he likes the challenge of having to act everything out and doesn’t want to ruin the magic for awestruck children.
Balis said she is very talkative in real life so she speaks as she normally would while in costume.
Brown said the fandom is becoming a worldwide phenomenon and more conventions are being held all over the world. He said the rise of social media seems to be bringing more members out of the woodwork.
Louisiana Furs organizes event for local furries to gather, known as “furmeets.”
“It’s just a big group of friends getting together and having fun,” Brown said.
Brown said a group of the members helped out at an ASPCA adoption fair last May, entertaining people and taking pictures with kids.
 
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Contact Haylie Navarre at [email protected]