SOC 326 7-2 FINAL PROJECT

docx

School

Southern New Hampshire University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

SOC 326

Subject

Sociology

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by MateBat1547

1 7-2 Final Project 7-2 Final Project: Milestone Four: Final Product Jessica Lee Howell Southern New Hampshire University 23 April 2023

2 7-2 Final Project Furry fandom is a subculture that consists of individuals who are interested in anthropomorphic or cartoon animals. They usually identify with these characters. This subculture includes diverse individuals who are becoming popular in society and are also negatively stigmatized. It is not unusual for a stigma to be created around a subculture that challenges societal norms of gender, sexuality, and appearance. The focus on this paper is going to centralize on the topic of the subculture of furries. The phenomenon has a mixture of perspectives that are both positive and negative. The subculture should not be misperceived as a counterculture. Society can view this subculture as deviant; however, the furry community values align with current society standards. They just express these values in their own special way. American criminologist, Albert Cohen, suggests that subcultures arise in highly differentiated, complex societies when a certain amount of people encounter similar problems living within the prevailing culture (Wickert, 2022). According to his view, subcultures share problems that have solutions that are viewed as problems by the dominant culture (Wickert, 2022). The furry community represents values of tolerance, diversity, acceptance, and open- mindedness. These interests should not be portrayed as deviant behavior. The focus should be on the deviant behaviors that might be prevalent in the community, the individuals that take their fandom to the extremes. The deviant behavior that might occur within this subculture define this fandom. There might be questions of why an individual would be apart of this subculture. Furry fandom is a way for people to live in a child-like fantasy, creating a sense of belonging amongst others who have shared interests. A social support network is then formed that serves as an escape for these individuals to dress in anthropomorphic animal characters with human

3 7-2 Final Project personalities and characteristics. There continues to be mixed views on whether this community is deviant or not. The subculture would fit into Merton’s Theory of adaption. They fit the adaption of rebellion. The reason for this claim is that rebels are correlated with rejecting valued goals and the means to achieve them with their own personal goals. There are cases when furries reject societal norms and experience negative backlash for rejection of socially approved behaviors. The conflict lies with the physical appearance and the unique behaviors expressed by these individuals. Their appearance and unique personalities do not classify them as deviant members to society. The social media portrayals formed a negative stigma surrounding these people which are inaccurate. The negative representation is that it is unnatural to fetishize within this type of community and that they partake in deviant behaviors. These ideas cause the problem of the subculture to be misunderstood. The social group is a collection of similar interests such as fantasy, artistic expression, and performance-based arts. They were innovative in using the word “furries” for their animalistic personas. The members themselves believe that they are normal with normal interests but are judged by others outside the community. Their subculture provides a powerful sense of belonging. They advocate for acceptance and understanding while disapproving of dangerous behaviors. This type of fandom is only viewed as deviant because of the stigma. They are going against the traditional mold and freely expressing fantasies different from the average individual. A furry’s fantasy is expressing themselves while wearing an animatronic suit. It is important to know that a furry still identifies themselves as humans while wearing the animal- like costumes. Their behavior is not deviant, it is a rebellious act against the norms of society on ideal fantasies. They have decided not to adhere to valued norms for the sake of their own

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

4 7-2 Final Project personal values. Although the community is misperceived,the feeling of isolation can cause deviant behavior within the group. However, these behaviors do not represent the behaviors of the whole subculture. Whoever created the stigma remains unknown which creates a false depiction of furry fandom. This subculture was formed by individuals with a shared interest in anthropomorphic animals. It is supposed to be a safety/comfort zone for people of mutual interests to be able to express themselves without judgement. Being a furry is not deviant but should be considered as social diversion. Their creative expression is harmless. The poor portrayal and social interactions have caused a misrepresentation of this fandom and the media plays a big role. The moral concerns influenced how furries were recognized. The people were falsely labeled, and the subculture was classified as being inauthentic. The problem is that the real meaning behind the fantasy is ignored. The members should be compared to the sci-fi fandom that they originated from. There is a lack of correlation with furries being associated with high-risk behaviors and is simply a safe place for like-minded individuals to express themselves freely. The subculture is becoming more popular and familiar. The mainstream can influence the acceptance of this fandom because of the familiarity. Observing other’s acceptance of the group can influence descriptive norms. This is why it is important to change the misconceptions on furry fandom being considered deviant behavior. The change will help furries feel accepted and normal members of society. The community is the same as the other subcultures. They only differ because they go against societal norms in an unconventional way. The fury community wants society to accept them by social legitimizing the subculture. Unfortunately, the label of deviant

5 7-2 Final Project lingers on these individuals. The community itself is not deviant but a small portion of members can potentially be. The push for acceptance, the negative stigma, and challenging social norms is perceived as deviant by society. There is not enough awareness spread on the misconceptions of the community and the media has created this false narrative on furry fandom. According to the author, Jeansonne, furries are individuals who have an interest in anthropomorphic animals and are occasionally portrayed in the media as a socially or sexually deviant subculture (Jeasonne,2012). The dark sexual deviance is the main concern of the public. Members of society need to be educated on how there are two subtypes of furries. It is crucial because we will be able to distinguish the difference between what part of the fantasy is deviant and what part is not. The first subtype are people who dress as animals because they see it as an artistic form of expression (Jeansonne, 2012). The second subtype are people who dress like animals to fulfill their sexual fantasy (Jeansonne, 2012). The media is to blame for only portraying the more deviant subtype. It is inevitable for fetishisms to not occur within the fandom, however, the majority of the furries do not identify with this sexual theme. The members associated with sexual fantasies are called yiff-furries. Yiffing is the term to describe a fetish of having sex while dressed in a full fur (animal) suit (Eller,2020). The subculture is more complex and there is a lack of knowledge in society about the community. Having knowledge about the aspects of furries is important to discuss within the debate on the behavior being deviant. What should be known is the disagreement amongst the furries. The non-yiff furries are proud to express the ideas and values of their community. The yiff are more likely to hide and deny their place as a furry. An average member of society would not know the many aspects of this subculture, so how can we identify it as deviant behavior?

6 7-2 Final Project Existential sociology and the symbolic interactionist perspectives views furries as people who use their personal, social, and cultural resources to create their “fursonas”, to express personality trats that they could not usually express (Jeasonne,2012). To better understand this community, research needs to be done. Existential sociology is the study and understanding of individuals’ existence and remains unbiased (JSTOR, n.d). On the outside looking into a community, it is easy to believe myths or follow false narratives surrounding the topic. The truth about the furry community needs to be known and properly represented for the sake of the individuals developing deviant behaviors due to rejection. Another perspective on the misconception of furries, explains that furries tend to be portrayed as these perverted fetishists when the reality is that the subculture is about playful escapism and having a fascination to linking humans to animals (Guardian News and Media, 2016). The representation of furry fandom is inauthentic. The art and creativity of the community is not emphasized enough but the negative attributes are. The positive aspects should be mentioned along with the negative aspects. What makes furry fandom unique from other fandoms is that they are not consumers, but rather creators (Guardian News and Media, 2016). Instead of promoting distress and high-risk behaviors, rather the group promotes positive change while being in their unconventional appearance and social diversions. It is a creative community that involves many aspects, and they dedicate most of their time to their community. The lifestyle consists of a lot of work, money, and dedication to maintain their “fursona”. Their aesthetic is the foundation of the individual’s identity in the community. They should not feel shameful or considered deviant for their identity. Another popular argument is that furries are mentally unstable and the media uses this claim as a reason for the behavior to be deviant. According to several studies, there is no huge marginal difference

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

7 7-2 Final Project regarding mental health problems amongst furries compared to non-furries (Aaron, 2017). Many people do not realize how popular anthropomorphism is. There are accurate stereotypes such as furries consisting of 80% male, interest in science or tech, and have a disproportionate share of not identifying as heterosexual (Guardian News and Media, 2016). Previously mentioned, there is only a small percentage of members that would be considered mentally unhealthy. The subtype that focuses on sexual desires could possibly struggle from gender identity disorder. Gender identity disorder is when a person does not feel like they belong to their biological sex and their gender identity. The primary focus of this fandom is self-identity and is taken seriously. Their gender expression, “fursonas”, are the main contributing factor to the community. When debating the acceptance of furry fandom, gender identity disorder should be considered in the decision-making of the behavior being deviant. The subculture is about identity, not sex. There are parallels involving the disorder that pertain to the transgender community. There have been transgender individuals who have admitted that they feel as if they were born the wrong gender. Similarly, some furries feel as if they were born into the wrong species. These thoughts and feelings can be classified as species identity disorder (Guardian News and Media, 2016). The association of this mental health disorder can cause society to view this subculture as abnormal, which can lead them to believe that the behavior is deviant. Keep in mind only some of furries struggle with their identity. Other than the debate of mental health issues being a concern in the community, fetish/sexual argumentation is as well. Sexual themes are present as a subtype of the subculture. There was a study done that surveyed 334 male furries that asked questions based on sexual orientation, sexual interests, and sexual motivation. 84% of the participants reported they were gay and 99% admitted that there was a degree of sexual

8 7-2 Final Project motivation being a furry. Also, the data tracked a pattern of sexual interests consistent with an ETII (Erotic Target Identity Inversion) involving anthropomorphic animals (Hsu & Bailey, 2019). Although, the results of the study proved typical stereotypes, the furry community could have ben misrepresented. The limitations are that the sample size was small, only men were surveyed, and the geographical region could play a factor. There is some possibility of accuracy from this study. The majority of furries identify as male, and one-quarter identify as female ( 1.3 sex, gender, and Gender Identity , 2022). Also, there is a high percentage of transgender, gender fluid, and non-binary furries compared to those apart of the general population ( 1.3 sex, gender, and Gender Identity , 2022). Furthermore, the question is the media accurately representing the furry fandom subculture? The media has expressed the mental health concerns of the members, gender or species identity disorder, and the sexual fantasies/fetishes that can possibly attract outside individuals. The media focuses on the problems that occur within the community, but as a unit, when the issue is with the subtype. The whole subculture should not be defined by the small portion that might be considered deviant. The furry community has been claimed as individuals suffering from abnormal mental health issues. There is no denying that there is deviant behavior that occurs within the community but that happens in every community. The positive side and the negative side should be clearly distinguished to avoid misconceptions of the subculture. Every individual is unique within the community and contextual aspects need to be considered. Furries are not a homogenous group and there are varying levels of identification within their fandom (Austin,2018). The question that is left, is how do we classify these individuals using one word? There is no issue classifying the individuals within the collective,

9 7-2 Final Project it’s the negative stigma surrounding the collective that’s the problem. There is a spectrum of multiple interests within the fandom. However, the main interests are the mutual vision of friendship, creative expression, and the feeling of belonging. There are many perceptions centralizing on the topic of furry fandom and is miscued regularly. There is some accuracy in what the media portrays about the community, but they do not include all the aspects of the subculture. For the normalization of this fandom to happen, there needs to be an analysis on the possible functions that might occur. The latent functions would be seeing more furries partake in social functions that are apart of the general population. The social functions would consist of going to places such as bars and clubs while in their “fursona”. It would become more popular to come across furry profiles on social media and developing friendships with them despite the difference of interests. Manifest functions would be educating general society on furry fandom which would increase the likelihood of normalization. Overall, the question is if furry fandom considered a deviant group? There are a variety of opinions on the topic and the answer is both yes and no. There is a subtype of subculture that is focused promoting a sense of belonging and feeling comfortable expressing their unique creativity. This view would be considered non-deviant. Opposed to the view of some individuals having a species identity disorder and/or having sex/fetishes while in their “fursona”. This view can be considered as deviant. Raising awareness on all aspects of furry fandom will encourage normalization of the subculture. The community needs to be viewed as a collective but there is a need to understand the parts that make up the whole.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

10 7-2 Final Project References 1.3 Sex, Gender, and Gender Identity - Furscience . (2022, October 12). Furscience. https://furscience.com/research-findings/demographics/1-3-sex-and-gender/ Aaron, M. (2017, May 12). More Than Just a Pretty Face: Unmasking Furry Fandom . Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/standard-deviations/201705/ more-just-pretty-face-unmasking-furry-fandom#:~:text=Despite%20this%20misconception%2C %20evidence%20shows%20that%20furries%20are,well-adjusted%20as%20anyone%20else %20in%20the%20general%20population . Austin, Jessica R. (2018) Identity construction in the Furry fandom. Doctoral thesis, Anglia Ruskin University. Clinard, M. B., & Meier, R. F. (2015). Sociology of Deviant Behavior (15th Edition). Cengage Learning US. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781305537347

11 7-2 Final Project Eller, J. L., & Eller, A. R. (2020). Furries. In Deviance Today . https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003053286-22 Guardian News and Media. (2016, February 4). It's not about sex, it's about identity: Why furries are unique among fan cultures. The Guardian. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/feb/04/furry-fandom-subculture-animal-costumes Hsu, K.J., Bailey, J.M. The “Furry” Phenomenon: Characterizing Sexual Orientation, Sexual Motivation, and Erotic Target Identity Inversions in Male Furries. Arch Sex Behav 48 , 1349– 1369 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1303-7 Jeansonne, S. A. (2012). Breaking down stereotypes: A look at the performance of self-identity within the furry community (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas. https://digital.library.txstate.edu/handle/10877/4398 Existential Sociology on JSTOR . (n.d.). https://www.jstor.org/stable/4105970 Wickert, C. (2022, April 18). Subcultural theory (Cohen) - SozTheo . SozTheo. https://soztheo.de/theories-of-crime/learning-subculture/subcultural-theory-cohen/?lang=en

SOC 326 7-2 FINAL PROJECT

Related Documents