"This is Life with Lisa Ling": Furries

[Khoufu]

I saw a segment on CNN today about furries, which showed a lot of the positive sides of the community. Did anyone else see it? Thoughts?

[LadyMoondancer]

I didn't see it, but I'm glad to see furries getting some positive press.  I'm not a furry, but I have friends who make fursonas, fursuits, the whole nine yards.  I think it's neat.

[Strawberry Swirl]

Didn't expect to see a thread on this here, but yeah I watched it! And it was fine. It was fun trying to find people I recognize.

I'll be frank, I've been a furry a long long time and I adore the community so much. But I really..don't much care about what the general public thinks of us. I think a portion is indifferent, a portion is alright with us and a portion is vehemently against us (and those that are against us are probably people I don't want to stick around, anyway). But regardless I really just don't care. Their opinions doesn't stop me from enjoying this community and its people.

Maybe it's just because again I've been here for a while but yeah.

[Mewtwofan1]

     I haven’t seen it either, but it’s nice to see the furry community getting some positive coverage.
     I don’t consider myself a furry, but I do find the artwork the community makes quite interesting, and I like anthropomorphic animal characters. A most of people I know who are part of the furry community are lovely, and it’s a shame news and media tends to focus on the negatives of a few members.

[Khoufu]

Didn't expect to see a thread on this here, but yeah I watched it! And it was fine. It was fun trying to find people I recognize.

I'll be frank, I've been a furry a long long time and I adore the community so much. But I really..don't much care about what the general public thinks of us. I think a portion is indifferent, a portion is alright with us and a portion is vehemently against us (and those that are against us are probably people I don't want to stick around, anyway). But regardless I really just don't care. Their opinions doesn't stop me from enjoying this community and its people.

Maybe it's just because again I've been here for a while but yeah.

That's a good point, that people who dislike furries may not be people I'd want to associate with. I mostly like to see this positive stuff cuz it may encourage parents of young furs to be more accepting of their kid's hobby.

I'm a furry. My favorite parts of the community are costumes, building characters, and partying/socializing. I'd say those are popular among furries.

[BerylBreeze]

I saw it and think they handled it respectfully. It focused on how the suiters (interviewed in the special) discovered the furry community and how it helps them cope with their anxiety/PTSD/etc, culminating to them going to Anthro Northwest. I didn't recognize anyone they talked to except Telephone (am I out of touch?).

[Minty_Magic]

I consider myself a borderline furry. I don't really interact with the community or have a fursona or anything, but I admire their creativity and skill from the sidelines. Lately I've been a lot more interested in the community for some reason, so I was really happy that furries were getting some press coverage! I'm even more intrigued now!
I really liked how the special was handled. I was glad they focused in on the personal stories of the people behind the suits and why they found it to be comforting and helped them cope with anxieties and such. As someone who's always been a little shy and awkward I definitely see the appeal! I had to go back and watch it a second time though. I watched it live when my family was around and although they were all kind of making fun of the furries, my sister was just being outright rude and disrespectful through the whole thing, so it kind of put a damper on it for me initially. Guess you really can't help someone see its not such a weird hobby if they don't want to listen. I thought the tie in with cosplay was nice, because honestly no one says anything if you dress up as pop culture characters. I pretty much have a cobbled together fursuit for Nick Wilde and don't get too much trouble. Why is it suddenly weird if it's your own creation?
My favorite part of the whole episode was seeing Lisa Ling dancing in suit at the end though. I have never seen her so happy in any other special! I think she maybe discovered something about herself filming this lol!

[banditpony]

Not a furry. Didn't see it.

I don't think the general public is going to watch it with an open mind... I hope it will spur more good then bad.

[Kikwifluff]

I thought it was really well done, and I’m super happy that the fandom is finally getting a positive media interview. I’m an aspiring fursuit maker and artist in the fandom, so I’m very happy with the nice coverage

[melodys_angel]

I saw it. And I cried.

Im not a furry (though I would do a child event had I the health and chance, I would be shy and embarrassed to do it otherwise) but I did cosplay before I got sick and the anxiety and how it helps people to cope really got to me in a personal way. I guess for me it was very...very relatable. I found myself revisit my past and my childhood and all the complexities surrounding it.


The this is life series has always been tastefully done IMO and hits on a lot of topics that are often sensitive or misunderstood.  It was nice seeing many of the parents and kids together at the end with the parents trying to support and understand and see how its positive for their kid.