

Ahh! Close the door! Furries love to hate their porn. Sometimes furry art is purely G-rated… sometimes it’s XXX. It causes fear about image. But if it gets humanistic interest without judgement, I suspect it can reveal things about erotic imagination. Anthropomorphism has mixed with it since the dawn of history.

Here’s a question on the minds of art students who draw furries. (One asked me, and I answered “Yes and No”)…

“Does association with furry culture have negative impact on hiring? In one of my portfolio reviews, someone told me not to include my anthro art, and that was discouraging (even though it’s not sexualized or inappropriate).”

Now imagine seeking academic respect for porn of any kind. It’s easy to sense professional difficulty. But with the first Journal of Porn Studies (Spring 2014,) “finally scholars have a venue for considering the phenomenon seriously.”

I gave a quick browse to the first issue. (It really is all about the articles.) The term Gonzo caught my eye in one article: Gonzo, trannys, and teens – current trends in US adult content production, distribution, and consumption.

“Gonzo form content: a content production form characterized by the presence of a ‘talking camera’, wherein the person recording a particular sequence or scene is also playing an active, integral role in the on-screen action. A person behind the camera may be giving directions or making comments. A key factor shaping the prevalence of gonzo form content is production cost. Economic factors shape adult content production. Gonzo content is inexpensive to create, enabling producers to more effectively meet market demands for new material.”

Can we relate this to DIY furry art, that uses 100% intentionally created fantasy role-playing, and makes dialogue between artist and commissioner? I think so- especially when it’s designed for absurd, impossible, cartoonish situations.

I sent reporter inquiries to the journal and article’s author, Chauntelle Anne Tibbals, Ph.D. I was careful to mention that Furry does NOT necessarily have anything to do with kink. (I also linked Flayrah’s interview with the CEO of Offbeatr to show how sometimes it does.)

Dr. Tibbals runs an adult media criticism blog. It recently reviewed a “magical pony” porn movie (NSFW.) We started a nice conversation. Later this week, I’ll post what Dr. Tibbals had to say about furries, sex, and sociology.