Fashion subcultures are popular ways of dressing created through cultural influences like music, art or epochs. And as most subcultures, they come and then they go. 

For instance, years ago we had the Hippie Movement, then came Punk, Goth, Emo, Skater, and several other subcultures.  

Today there is a subculture that has become popular over the last 15 years or so and that is called Furries. 

So, what is a furry? Depends on who you ask, Google states a Furry is an enthusiast for animal characters with human characteristics, in particular a person who dresses up in costume as such a character or uses one as an avatar online.  

Then the Urban Dictionary states: 

There is no one single definition of what a furry is. Even within the furry fandom, people cannot always agree on just what makes a person a furry or not. 
 
Some would argue that to be a furry, you must think and talk like one (i.e. use furry specific words and phrases). Even if you go to conventions, wear a fursuit, draw the art, writes the stories etc but don't talk using furry lingo, you're not a furry. Basically, someone that may walk the walk but doesn’t talk the talk. 
 
Others would argue that even liking anthropomorphic creatures makes you a furry. You may have no idea the furry fandom exists or have ever heard of a furry convention, let alone any of the websites; simply liking 'anthro' critters makes you a furry. 
 
The way I see it, if or if you don’t consider yourself a furry is a matter of personal opinion. 
 
As with any hobby, most furries are normal people just like anyone you'll meet at work/school or going to/from work/school or anywhere. Then there is the small percent that are hard core fans and have taken what for most is a hobby and perverted it (sometimes in an all to literal sense). 
 
As is with so many other things in life, the few that take it too far tend to be the loudest. The silent majority are often forced into silence by the loud majority for fear that people will label them as being in the same class as the minority that have perverted it. 
 
One unfortunate side effect of the internet and the relative anonymity that some sites grant their users is people are able to engage in activities (even if only on a virtual level) that they would never even consider doing in real life. An example of this is trolls of message boards that say things to people they’d never say to them in person. I think a lot of the stereotypes associated with furries are because of this. 
 
In conclusion, as with any hobby, there are some furries that have taken it too far and/or perverted what for many is a fun harmless hobby. 

Cambridge English Dictionary defines a Furry as a person who likes to dress up as an animal.  

So how did this subculture start? That again is hazy. Some say it came from cosplay that became popular after Japanese teens started dressing as their favorite Anime character. Catgirl states, First, let’s take a few steps back into history for some education. For a better understanding we’ll need to go all the way back to 2890 B.C. in Ancient Egypt. Surprising, isn’t it? The original “catgirl” was known as Bastet, formally known as the lioness warrior goddess of the sun. She is now more widely known as the cat goddess of Ancient Egypt. She was depicted as a lioness or also as a woman who possessed the head of a strong female feline. During this era in Egypt, cats were considered to be sacred and incredibly special. They rid the land of rats and unwanted critters and served quite useful to the people. Because of this, cats in Egypt who belonged to royalty were often dressed in jewelry and gold, and even given the luxury of eating from the food plates of their owners. 

However, chasing rats wasn’t the only talent of the cat goddess. She also took on the role of a loving and gentle mother, so women who wished to become pregnant would often wear jewelry or amulets with Bastet’s picture. The goddess was worshipped for many generations and highly regarded in Egypt during this time. Not only was she highly regarded for these reasons, but she also was known as the keeper of the hearth and home, the guard for women’s secret, the protector against spirits and of sickness, and of course, the goddess of cats. 

Catgirl continues, from time to time, we’ve all noticed the presence in anime and manga of the hybrid characters known as nekomimi. Nekomimi is Japanese for “cat ears” and refers to the young girls who possess the same characteristics of a cat, such as a cat ears, a cat tail, and the same personality as a feline. 

In America we have seen the popularity of girls and young women wearing costumes of their favorite anime character that morphed over to a subculture of people who dress and act like their favorite animal.  

We have included links below to scholarly papers as well as other articles about the phenomenon of someone who dresses as an animal for fun all the way to a minority that according to the experts that have perverted the cosplay into a psychiatric disorder called Clinical Lycanthropy. Which is defined as a psychiatric syndrome that involves a delusion that the affected person can transform into, has transformed into, or is, an animal.[1 

Clinical lycanthropy is a type of delusional misidentification syndrome of the self, and it often overlaps with other delusional misidentifications. 

As it is stated above most Furries are only normal people that is into cosplay and it is only a small percentage that have a mental disorder and identify as an animal.  

When trying to explain Furries to an adult male that works a normal job Monday through Friday where they must wear a suit and tie but, on the weekends, they wear biker clothes, I explain it this way. Bro, you don’t wear biker gear but two days a week, so it is cosplay since you must wear normal clothes during the week. You are motorcycle enthusiast, and you dress and act like one when you can.  

Now it is the same as a person who is into cosplay and dresses up when they can as their favorite anime character or animal character.  

Most motorcycle enthusiasts are normal people just like most people into cosplay are normal.  

It is only the perverted few motorcyclists and perverted few that are delusional in cosplay that we need to worry about. It is the same with any other enthusiasts.  

Don’t all people deserve love and respect if whatever they are into is not hurting anyone? 

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=furry 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228468848_Furries_from_A_to_Z_Anthropomorphism_to_Zoomorphism 

https://www.catgirlheadphones.com/cat-girls-nekomimi-manga-anime-fashion 

https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultures-and-scenes/furries/ 

https://www.webmd.com/sex/what-is-furry-sex 

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/furry 

https://www.vox.com/2014/12/10/7362321/9-questions-about-furries-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask