Being furry out in the world... hmm...
Yes, I suppose I do express an interest in furry through my fashion choices. I have some ears/tail and fake fur winter hats with ears.
I don't live in a big city with a lot of universities and a strong arts/culture scene either, where you might expect to see people dressing in unexpected ways. I live in a small town.
The few times I've worn my hat while out shopping, there actually hasn't been much reaction. But that could be because I'm a bit shy and typically avoid eye contact and small talk with strangers. I'm happy for anyone who has gotten positive reactions. Way to go!
I've never even been to a convention or have ever met another furry in real life. My knowledge and communication with other furries is entirely through the Internet.
I'm normally shy and don't seek attention. So wearing anything "furry", something that will obviously draw attention, is something very different for me.
While I don't go around telling people that I'm a furry, I don't hide it either.
The last time I wore my green tail to school, I got told to take it off as it was a "Distraction to the learning environment", apparently. However, while i had it on.... I got a lot of sarcastic remarks about it. "nice tail said with a tone that could curdle milk in your stomach. Not a pleasant experience. If I EVER try and wear a tail to school again, it'll be during character day. Or, in college.
Dressing a little differently isn't really a distraction. Is it a "distraction" if someone is very tall, or has red hair, or has eyeglasses with thick lenses, has an overbite, or brown shoes instead of black shoes? The other students and teachers must be bad people who hate anyone who is different from them and look for excuses to bully others. And wearing a tail makes you an easy target, since not many people dress that way.
It is my belief that dress codes should be banned from schools, the workplace, even prison, and everywhere else. This is because individuality and freedom of expression are basic human rights or should be. And people don't all have to look the same or act exactly the same in order for society to function. A society of hive mind robots stifles things like arts, cultures, new ideas, and new innovations and inventions.
With that said, you may have to pick your battles very carefully until you're an adult and have money to support yourself. Best of luck to you!
Edit: Added some stuff, changed a couple words around to make things clearer, etc.