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This is something I just started to think about again:

Where do you draw the line between a furry fan and a furry lifestyler? Is there even a line? More to the point, is there even a distinction between the two anymore?

I know there used to be a huge division between fans and lifestylers. There were once two separate Usenet groups for the furry community, alt.fan.furry and alt.lifestyle.furry, the latter of which was born out of a furious flamewar concerning this very issue. Even when I discovered furry in 2003, I got the impression that fans and lifestylers formed two separate camps, and that while they didn't completely hate each other anymore, you still had to choose which group you belonged to upon becoming a furry.

But what about now? From my perspective, it seems like the distinction between the two groups has blurred, or even evaporated altogether, over the years. It's true that we have a "Lifestylers" subforum here, and it contains threads like Furry Diet, Wearing a Tail in Public, Am I possibly a therian?, and Real Life Furry Mates - just the sorts of things you would expect. Yet it seems like exactly the same people post in Lifestylers as everywhere else on Furtopia. I see very few people proclaiming anymore that "I Am a Lifestyler" or "I Am Just a Fan" - and almost none of the furs who do so are newbies. The Search function says that there have been only ten threads this year that have even contained the world "lifestyler."

What do you think? What is a lifestyler? What is a fan? Do either of those camps even exist any longer?

I'd say you have to be a fan to be a lifesytler, but not a lifestyler to be a fan. If you think of it in stages:

1. Non-Furry (ie heretical )
2. Fan
3. Lifestyler

You would only reach a life styler, by moving through the fan section, as you would get interested. I am going to be making a tail soon, and i've only been a fan for a while.
The bottom line is, i would say a fan is happy talking about, and maybe joining in with the fandom (drawing, writing, etc). Lifestylers are so into it, they never leave their tail behind, and feel like a part of them selves is missing when they're not wearing it. I'm tending towards a lifestyler atm

This is an issue that has confused me since I first became a Furry. At the time, I thought one had to have a fursuit to be called a Furry, so I just called myself a fan. Then the whole lifestyler aspect came into play, and while I've got a Fursona and tail and whatnot, I don't really roleplay or other lifestyle-heavy things, so I wasn't sure if that was for me. But then I figured I was more than just a fan, considering how into it I was becoming.

Then the whole thing became too confusing for me, and I just called myself a Furry and tried not to stress over it.

Where do you draw the line between a furry fan and a furry lifestyler? Is there even a line? More to the point, is there even a distinction between the two anymore?

If there was a line, then it was long, long ago. But now? I'm not seeing it anymore.

What do you think? What is a lifestyler? What is a fan? Do either of those camps even exist any longer?

We're just......furries. Pure and simple.

As a newbie just coming into the fandom, It seems to me that lifestylers and fans are just two parts of the same whole. Its like having a football team, there is an offensive team, and a defensive team, but when they win they all cheer. Thats just my perspective on it.

As a newbie just coming into the fandom, It seems to me that lifestylers and fans are just two parts of the same whole. Its like having a football team, there is an offensive team, and a defensive team, but when they win they all cheer. Thats just my perspective on it.

This one is smart *nuzzles*. So the lifestylers are the offensive, and the fans are defensive . Makes sense, a fursuit could be likened to the armour of the fandom i suppose XD

As far as I'm concerned, the definitions of "furry fan" and "furry lifestyler" are the same as the definition of "furry" -- someone who says that he or she is one.

The connotations are of casual or serious interest in the fandom, respectively, but I think you're right that the terms are dying out.

As far as I'm concerned, the definitions of "furry fan" and "furry lifestyler" are the same as the definition of "furry" -- someone who says that he or she is one.

The connotations are of casual or serious interest in the fandom, respectively, but I think you're right that the terms are dying out.

Or at least blending

I thought the different is a fury fan is simply a admirer of fury art , literature or role play but is not a big part of their lives. I feel a lot of artist and other who enjoy some aspect of the fandom but go no farther, I would include those whey do not want to be called a fury but enjoy the fandom. A lifestyle integrates fury fandom into ones  life rather than just wearing  a tailor collar. , in my case there is no off switch.

It's totally subjective.  I'd say a lifestyler is someone who feels that he "is"  his fursona more than his human self.  It's a matter of saying "I'm a human who pretends he's a mouse"  versus "I'm a mouse in a human body".

Another way to look at it is:  Is this a hobby, or a philosophy?  Does furry govern your life in any meaningful way, or is it just something you do, like watching your favorite TV show or playing a video game?

Or, I may just be rambling.

It's totally subjective.  I'd say a lifestyler is someone who feels that he "is"  his fursona more than his human self.  It's a matter of saying "I'm a human who pretends he's a mouse"  versus "I'm a mouse in a human body".

Another way to look at it is:  Is this a hobby, or a philosophy?  Does furry govern your life in any meaningful way, or is it just something you do, like watching your favorite TV show or playing a video game?

Or, I may just be rambling.

Thats a good point actually. I suppose you could say a lifestyler believes he isn't human on the inside, and i can see the atraction in thinking like that .
Furry is very important in my life, and i would say its less or a hobby, more or an addiction now XD

Thats a good point actually. I suppose you could say a lifestyler believes he isn't human on the inside, and i can see the atraction in thinking like that .

People who believe that are called therians.

I identify with my FFXI character strongly enough that I've felt like I am him, but not in the same sense as a therian. There's a difference between seeing a character as a useful and accurate metaphor for your self, and believing that your actual soul is not human.

In other news, this thread (LINK) was posted in General Furry Discussion (albeit by a newbie) instead of the Furry Lifestyle forum, thus lending further credence to Arbutus' thesis.

Thats a good point actually. I suppose you could say a lifestyler believes he isn't human on the inside, and i can see the atraction in thinking like that .

People who believe that are called therians.

I identify with my FFXI character strongly enough that I've felt like I am him, but not in the same sense as a therian. There's a difference between seeing a character as a useful and accurate metaphor for your self, and believing that your actual soul is not human.

In other news, this thread (LINK) was posted in General Furry Discussion (albeit by a newbie) instead of the Furry Lifestyle forum, thus lending further credence to Arbutus' thesis.

Arbutus thesis... Care to expand on that point?

Arbutus thesis... Care to expand on that point?

Arbutus said that topics that once would have been considered Lifestyler discussions are cropping up all over the site, meaning that the line between fan and lifestyler is blurring:

But what about now? From my perspective, it seems like the distinction between the two groups has blurred, or even evaporated altogether, over the years. It's true that we have a "Lifestylers" subforum here, and it contains threads like Furry Diet, Wearing a Tail in Public, Am I possibly a therian?, and Real Life Furry Mates - just the sorts of things you would expect. Yet it seems like exactly the same people post in Lifestylers as everywhere else on Furtopia. I see very few people proclaiming anymore that "I Am a Lifestyler" or "I Am Just a Fan" - and almost none of the furs who do so are newbies. The Search function says that there have been only ten threads this year that have even contained the world "lifestyler."

[F]

I've always thought that the terms "lifestyler" and "just a furry fan"
were another twist on the decades-old "fiawol" and "fijagh"
(Fandom Is A Way Of Life and Fandom Is Just A Good* Hobby).

If you want to say how much furry is a part of your life by calling yourself a lifestyler--great.
If you're into furry but want to make sure others know you're not a fanatic about by calling yourself just a furry fan--wonderful. 
Either way, you're IN the fandom, and that to me is what matters. 

Debating over minutia like how 'deep' in the fandom you are, how you're into furry but still 'have a life,' etc, just falls to the wayside.  Sometimes fans (of all interests) create rifts or debates where none is  needed.

*'Good' substituted for the more traditional word in interest of keeping it friendly 

A fan is someone who's hobby is the fandom. Someone who's part of the fandom for fun.

A lifestyler is someone who never stops imagining. Someone who's life would be totally different if you took away the fandom.

I still feel there's a difference between the two, but  think it's starting to blend together at the edges because people might feel the same way I do. Some days I really feel like my fursona and enjoy thinking of or acting like I have or hooves. Other days I just doodle a picture. There's rarely a day that goes by that I don't think of the fandom at least once though. As someone else said, it's kind of addictive. I think all therians fall into the realm of lifestyler really.

Anyway, my point is that for me personally I can be a lifestyler one day(like when I'm in suit) or just a plain old fan the other. It all depends on the mood I'm in. However, since we have so much trouble even defining what furry is, it's hard to believe that we'll ever have a definition pinned down for all of our other weird quirks like lifestyling.

Pretty simple to me.

Furry lifestyler starts when you take furry off of the internet and apply it to real life.


Furry fan... It can mean a lot of things.

Furry lifestyler starts when you take furry off of the internet and apply it to real life.

have to agree with the fox. Tho IMO this means not just going to cons and furmeets but into daily life.

Furry lifestyler starts when you take furry off of the internet and apply it to real life.

have to agree with the fox. Tho IMO this means not just going to cons and furmeets but into daily life.

Agreed 100%. This time last year, I was a fan. I enjoyed the artwork, went to a couple meets, thought suits were adorable, even made myself a fursona that some people called me by that name...but that was about the end of it. Now I have  a suit, two tails, a closet full of fur, a stack of furry clothing, have been to 6 cons, and have no qualms publicly suiting, tailing, or wearing my con shirts. I plan to make more suits, I have a thousand badges (not quite literally...but still), and just about everyone outside work and family knows me by my furry name. Heck, if you see my car, it's dead obvious I'm a furry: Phipaw, paw license frame, collar hanging from the mirror, plushies everywhere. (Though I did stop short of my fursona on my plates....I prefer my nickname of "Jellybeans" on there)

So.... yeah, I'd say I'm a lifestyler *looks around her room and sees furry in every corner* As we speak, I have 5 plushies surrounding my computer.

I have to say that I believe I am just a fan, I don't see myself dressing up or even wearing a tail. But the time and passion some people put into this lifestyle is awesome I think. Everyone has their own. Hopefully I won't get shunned for this >_>;

Defining the difference between 'furry is a hobby' and 'furry is a way of life' is confusing sometimes. I remember when I first heard in the fandom there used to be two groups dubbed 'fans' and 'lifestylers' who always fought and debated (thank goodness not so much anymore), I thought "Well that's silly to fight others in the fandom if they don't take the lifestyle/hobby as much at heart/lightly as you do." All that matters is we're all interested in the same thing (in general, EVERYONE is entitled to what part of the fandom they like), anthromorphism! =D

I consider myself a lifestyler. I've been a furry since as long as I can remember. It was a part of my everyday life, and it still is. I didn't know a fandom existed for 'furries' until just recently, and it has put more influence in my everyday life. I do the walk and the talk, I draw LOTS of anthros in my sketchbooks, I consider myself a spiritual furry (pretty sure I'm a therian, but my religious views are floating in mid air right now), and it's simply who I am, being furry is a part of me. I'm a furry and proud of it! 

I think a lifestyler is someone who relates themselves to an animal and bases their morals and actions on how the animal acts or reacts. Their whole life is connected to this animal or fandom. A wolf will often be very family oriented, or a cat might drink extra milk, and some people may use their animals noises such as grunts or whines to react to something. I dont think you have to think there is an actual animal spirit inside of you, or that you are an animal inside, but that, i geuss, would also feul a lifestyler.

A fan is much less extreme. They enjoy all things about the fandom and may even have characters of their own, but they dont think of themselves and their character outside of fourms or cons. They make tails, but dont wear them around (except for cons or special events) because its not who they are. They draw, but dont relate it to themselves or say this is who they are.



  i have to make this post short, didnt get to say every thing, but i hope you get the jist of it.

PS- im a lifstyler 

I don't even know where I stand. I think about furry fandom all the time even though I am not very "active" in it. I don't make much art, don't write stories, don't RP, don't have any furry friends IRL (at least that I know of, you never know), don't contribute much to the community at all really - which is bad of me I think because I feel like I should since I enjoy seeing so much great art and stories. I enjoy the fandom but I don't feel like I'm an important part of it. I do feel like there is no other description that fits me better other than a furry though. I love most aspects of furry fandom and participate in the enjoyment of them at least, and on a daily basis. I think like a fox, and feel like a fox personality wise, but I am not "Rusty" in particular 24/7 if you know what I mean. It's really difficult to explain. More difficult than I imagined it would be when I started typing this and having to stop often to think and type more. It has seriously taken me over 45 minutes to type this short paragraph because I can't put it into words. I should just post it now. oo;

The distinctions still exist, I think, but they have blended so much that it's really more of a continuum at this point.  I definitely fall somewhere in the "fan" half, but sometimes I get "lifestyler" urges.  Very rarely act on them though...