Furry lifestyler

A furry lifestyler is generally considered to be a person who meets one or more of these requirements:

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• Integrating a perceived animal nature into one's persona (gait, use of voice, personality, instincts, et multiple cetera)
• Totemistic beliefs, specifically with regard to animal spirits.
• A belief that animal instincts exist within humans, regardless of whether they are separate, immaterial spirits, part of the genetic code, caused by reincarnation from a previous animal life, or anything else.

A furry lifestyler may also take on physical attributes of an animal, although this is rare. Such attributes may be: hair style (including facial hair), tattoos, articles of clothing (e.g. a tail or ears), or jewelry. In a few extreme cases, some wealthy lifestylers have used elective surgery to affect a physical transformation.

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Furry lifestylers generally refer to themselves as furries or furs, although this term is not exclusive to them. Also, some people who might reasonably call themselves furry lifestylers choose not to do so for various reasons, including a desire not to be associated with the term. (For example, a related community, the "were" or "therian" community, shares similar beliefs with the furry lifestylers but wishes to distance themselves from the furry fandom.)

Related Topics:
"were" or "therian" - Furry fandom

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Some furry lifestylers have a general dysmorphia, a strong, deeply rooted feeling that they are not in the right body. A few furries have gone so far as to use the term Species Dysmorphic Disorder, a neologism that puns on body dysmorphic disorder, though the simpler "species dysmorphia" is a slightly more common phrase. These seem to indicate a disassociation with the psychological identity of the public at large.

Related Topics:
Dysmorphia - Neologism - Pun - Body dysmorphic disorder - Psychological identity

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A common perception of the furry lifestyle is that a very high proportion of its members are gay or bisexual, especially the latter. However, some people dispute this, opining that furs are, as a rule, more likely than the general population to accept non-heterosexual orientations and that this, rather than any real difference in numbers, accounts for the perception. Estimates as to the actual proportion of gay and bi furs therefore range widely, but reliable statistics are absent since serious research into this subject is almost non-existent.

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Furry lifestyler: See also ►