Bear Poll

[hylandr]

I've seen a few people post about bear stuff in the last month or so and thought I'd pull this poll together. It's mainly for the guys but women familiar with bear stuff can feel free to answer the optinion questions.

Poll Bear Essentials

Comments

[magnusarias]

I could catch slack for this one, but I do believe that there are minimum requirements to fall into the "bear" label. Do you have to be hairy? I'd say kinda, maybe not body hair, but maybe facial hair? As for build, I know plenty of scrawny guys who label themselves as bears/cubs. That's where I think more of the attitude involved. So I guess for me, there are a list of requirements and if you can check off 2 of them then sure, join the bunch :) If not, join anyways cause I'm still of the "non-exclusive bear community" mentality.

It also depends on the self-identity versus the perceived-identity. I perceive myself as a bear just cause, but because of my age I usually get lumped into the cub label. *shrugs* I'm not one to spazz about what people say.

I've also found that with bear "groups" that simply creating the group, you're doing exactly what you want to prevent. If you want to be recognized by the gay community as a whole, you don't further segregate yourself and cry wolf (or bear in this case). It seems a bit counterproductive to me.

So there's my three cents =) Good poll!

[hylandr]

Thanks. :)

Yeah, the bear movement was sort of created as a support thing for guys who weren't the "ideal" of what gays were supposed to like. It's moved too far away from that though and can often be it's own form of elitist environment. Now bears can have their own "ideal" to judge people against. I've heard that many chasers feel uncomfortable because they don't fit the bear mold and many bears can become even more image self-conscious.