Are people who dress up as Na'vi...

[Kaiatéya]

This could easily be a great troll question, but I don't mean it that way. I'm curious what people think.

Are people who dress up as Na'vi, especially people who do so for the purpose of feeling closer to the Na'vi, feeling like they're one of the tribe, a type of furry? I mean, the Na'vi are vaguely human-like, but then again so are a lot of apes (and I doubt anyone would argue that dressing up as a monkey to get in touch with your inner monkey was not a form of being a furry). There are a lot of cat-like, lemur-like qualities to the Na'vi. And really, what you can't argue with (unless maybe you're Cameron and you know something I don't ) is that they aren't human.

I don't think dressing up as a Na'vi just as a costume is being a furry any more than dressing up as some other random animal as a costume would make you a furry. I think it's the intent of feeling more like a Na'vi and being closer to them that pushes over that line, getting in touch with your inner Na'vi.

I should say, too, I'm not anti-furry. I've considered doing these things too, and if that makes me a furry, I guess that's what I am.

[Ayfa'liyä omumyu]

I think for purposes of mainstream perception, the answer would for the most part generally be "no." If you're going to pick things apart, then we're heading into a "maybe," but I don't see there as being an emphatic "yes" to the question. My reasoning for this stems principally from the fact that "furry" characters and fursuits/costumes representing such are based upon anthropomorphised animals (i.e. - Bugs Bunny is an anthro rabbit...). Counter to your own statement of the Na'vi being "vaguely human-like," I would say instead that they are vaguely alien, or essentially human in all manner but for some feline features. They were, after all, quite successfully designed for a seamless broad-based popular acceptance. It takes a leap of faith to accept walking and talking foxes, tigers, or horses, but the Na'vi? They're basically just tall blue anime cat-girls, which also makes them quite a bit easier to costume as.

As far as getting in touch with one's "inner Na'vi," by assuming the guise of one, this I see by no means as connotating "furry" behaviour on its own. Any costume we don allows for - one might say, demands - reflection both inwardly to ourselves and outwardly to those who perceive us. And by "costume" I refer not only to facial prostheses or full body suits, but to the makeup, clothing, and other attire we put on everyday, all of which serves both the identify us to others and reinforce who we are to ourselves.

If we're going to place any importance on definitions (which, in such instances as these I generally do not), I would tend to veer towards thinking of Na'vi dressup as "Cosplay" rather than "Fursuiting," but you may choose whatever culturally maligned fandom best suits (ha!) you, or none at all (there are fandoms for that too).

[Tsamsiyu Atsteu]

No, I don't think you're a furry if you dress as a Na'vi. Na'vi are humanoids, much like Star Wars' Iridonians or twi-leks. They have more 'feline' of an appearance but are obviously "humanoid". It's like the skxwangs calling Na'vi sex "bestiality" Um no, that would be a person with an animal, not another human-like being. Na'vi are not just big cats that have been anthropomorphised, they are like humans, showing traits of their evolutionary history, as we do to apes.

[Kaiatéya]

Hmm, interesting points, all. Still, I think with things like cosplay, you are just doing it for the costume aspect. Even if you act with it, in-character, you're just doing it as an improv kind of thing. You're not, like .. trying to reach your inner Kero-chan or whatever. Well, most people aren't.

I guess I would liken it more closely to otherkin, who are nearly as unloved as furries. The word "furry" has gained some unfortunate connotations that aren't part of what I'm trying to get at.

I've seen a lot of sentiment on the forums like that, like "I feel so much like a Na'vi, I want to wear a tail".

but to the makeup, clothing, and other attire we put on everyday, all of which serves both the identify us to others and reinforce who we are to ourselves.

Yeah, I get that, but the difference there is that in our daily routines we are not trying to pretend not to be human. (Most people anyway ... for me, I think I spend a lot of time pretending to be human .. lol )

[Keye'ung]

Yes... you're a furry... jooiiin ussss!~

Nah the Na'Vi aren't furry too human eque :3

[Ikranä mokri]

just enquiring into a mindset here. what is it that appeals to furries. im not trying to insult you im genuinely interested

[Nìwotxkrr Tìyawn]

The feel of fur is something that stimulates them, like how some people are with leather or latex. Personally I have nothing against furries, it doesn't seem all that weird to me.

[Ikranä mokri]

I have nothing against them. its just i only very recenly heard of them and its just soemthign that intregues me

[Ayfa'liyä omumyu]

Hmm, interesting points, all. Still, I think with things like cosplay, you are just doing it for the costume aspect. Even if you act with it, in-character, you're just doing it as an improv kind of thing. You're not, like .. trying to reach your inner Kero-chan or whatever. Well, most people aren't.

I suppose the other side of this then is that not all Furries costume to explore their inner Kitsune or what-have-you, either. In fact, I'd venture to say that most do not. Attendance in the fursuit parade at most Furcons hovers around 5% of total attendance, and even allowing for those who want to costume but cannot for whatever reason, it's fair to say that fursuiters do not represent a majority of Furries. Furthermore, of those who do suit, do so for a number of reasons, of which I'd say a small percentage would be relevant to some spiritual/personal introspection and exploration. Most do so merely to have fun.

but to the makeup, clothing, and other attire we put on everyday, all of which serves both the identify us to others and reinforce who we are to ourselves.

Yeah, I get that, but the difference there is that in our daily routines we are not trying to pretend not to be human. (Most people anyway ... for me, I think I spend a lot of time pretending to be human .. lol )

Does it really matter what one pretends to be, human or otherwise, if you are still (knowingly or not) assuming a guise? To my mind there is no real difference. The shift we experience both to ourselves and from the perception of others from the donning of any kind of costume or adornment is still there. I don't think it really matters if it is a hat, handbag, or Harlequin mask.

Honestly though, I just don't see Na'vi costumers fitting in at a Furcon any more than the occasional Stormtrooper does. Yes, of course there's plenty of fandom cross-over, but I don't see them lumped in with "Furries" merely because they have a tail and some Feline features. Maybe I'm wrong. Time will tell!

[Txur’Itan]

I think most people wear a costume every day of their lives.

Dressing for success
Dressing to neutralize individuality
Dressing to impress.
Dressing to depress
Dressing to intimidate
Dressing for Confusion
Dressing to escape
Dressing to transmogrify.

I just think costuming is just fun.  

Whether I do it to escape who I am, or to become who I am, should not really matter to anyone except for me. And if it does, I still only weigh if it matters to me.   I prefer it to be temporary, in-case I don't like what I have become.

For socializing with others of like mindedness, it helps if I like it as much as or for the same reasons as those who do the same as me.  

I am likely to become more interested or less interested as the benefits outweigh the consequences, as in in any social situation.

I don't see regular cos-play as anything more than 365 D/Y Holiday celebration.

For instance, Halloween, darn near everyone is doing cos-play.

Christmas, or St Patty's Day, some people are doing it.

Cos-Play dedicated conference or themed conventions, many people are doing it.

Furry stuff, never been, I don't have any interest, but I don't have any particular bias against it, not that I can say I know enough to develop any.

Rabbits  - Chickens - Flowers - A whole car - Burning man-> complete 180 -> Def not for me.

Nude Beaches -> not for me

I personally have trouble with costuming since I have to make everything custom, and it is too expensive to do something new, so unless I really like the idea, I tend not to make it.

[nìTsìng Lekinama Yayo]

If they're doing it because of the animalistic cat-like aspect of the Na'vi, then yes. Otherwise, I'd say no.

The feel of fur is something that stimulates them, like how some people are with leather or latex. Personally I have nothing against furries, it doesn't seem all that weird to me.

...wait, what? Having done a lot of research on the furry fandom, I'm pretty sure that isn't right. The definition of a furry is someone who enjoys anthropomorphic animals in general, especially in the media. That's what about 90% of them fall under, including me. The other 10% go a few steps farther and end up getting attention, which is why they are what usually comes to someone's mind first. I'm sure your definition applies to some people out there, but not all.

[Sadrice]

Yeah, not to many furries are into fursuiting sexually.  They certainly exist, and aren't really all that rare, but I'd say that most furries think it's just a little weird.

As for Navi Cosplay, no, not really furry.  Yeah, it's kinda sorta anthropomorphic, but furry is more of a culture than being just everything anthropomorphic, and the avatar fans are not necessarily part of that culture.  In fact, it seems that they don't really like each other all that much, for the most part.

[Eaite Randjam]

As for Navi Cosplay, no, not really furry.  Yeah, it's kinda sorta anthropomorphic, but furry is more of a culture than being just everything anthropomorphic, and the avatar fans are not necessarily part of that culture.  In fact, it seems that they don't really like each other all that much, for the most part.

I must be a contradiction of myself then.  I'm furry, and an Avatar fan.  Should I start beating myself up?  I haven't heard much about either community from either camp.  Where do you hear that Furries and Avies don't like each other?

[Nìwotxkrr Tìyawn]

...wait, what? Having done a lot of research on the furry fandom, I'm pretty sure that isn't right. The definition of a furry is someone who enjoys anthropomorphic animals in general, especially in the media. That's what about 90% of them fall under, including me. The other 10% go a few steps farther and end up getting attention, which is why they are what usually comes to someone's mind first. I'm sure your definition applies to some people out there, but not all.

I did not mean sexual stimulation if it was implied, all I meant was that it's something that they really like the feel of, "stimulation" is just a 10 times shorter way of saying it. That's the sort of thing I fall under, I have 2 dogs and I like to cuddle with them, not in the creepy way, fur is just so soft and warm.

I study quite a few different fandoms to learn about how others think and feel, I like to learn ya, and "furries" are a particularly large group. What I've learned is that basically all across the board is that furries like the feel of fur, the majority of it is not in a sexual way as you said.

[nìTsìng Lekinama Yayo]

...wait, what? Having done a lot of research on the furry fandom, I'm pretty sure that isn't right. The definition of a furry is someone who enjoys anthropomorphic animals in general, especially in the media. That's what about 90% of them fall under, including me. The other 10% go a few steps farther and end up getting attention, which is why they are what usually comes to someone's mind first. I'm sure your definition applies to some people out there, but not all.

I did not mean sexual stimulation if it was implied, all I meant was that it's something that they really like the feel of, "stimulation" is just a 10 times shorter way of saying it. That's the sort of thing I fall under, I have 2 dogs and I like to cuddle with them, not in the creepy way, fur is just so soft and warm.

I study quite a few different fandoms to learn about how others think and feel, I like to learn ya, and "furries" are a particularly large group. What I've learned is that basically all across the board is that furries like the feel of fur, the majority of it is not in a sexual way as you said.

Well, who doesn't like the feel or fur? It's soft and fuzzy and nice. :3 But a lot of people who think fur feels good aren't furries, so it's probably not the best way to define them, that's all. 

[Robert Nantangä Tirea]

Here's my thoughts:

Why I like to cosplay: I like to cosplay because I am a doer, a maker, an inventor. I like being satisfied, so I rarely "long" for things I can't have. Cosplaying is an opportunity to take something that for what ever reason I enjoy or I think is cool/awesome/etc, and make it real.

Why I like to cosplay at events/cons: Making a costume and wearing it at an event or convention makes a statement about your affiliation with that subject. I was VERY excited about the movie AVATAR, for a broad range of reasons. I wore my costume to the opening show for two reasons:
1) Because the event was very special to me. I could go see any movie opening night, but this movie was particularly special to me and I felt it deserved unique recognition.
2) Because it shared with the rest of the people around, my enthusiasm and dedication. It's one thing to simply say you're a fan of something, but wearing a costume shows a deeper level of understanding and enjoyment. It also makes the event more memorable for those around you.

I think there's two levels of cosplaying, and they probably overlap often. The first is Casual/Fantasy, where you dress up as your favorite movie or story character because you want to pretend your are them and share in their adventures. The second is Roleplaying/Roletaking, but not in the sense that you are performing a story or playing with a group. This type of cosplay is where you understand a character or an image well enough that you believe if you stepped into their shoes you could think and act like them. This is the level of enthusiasm I am talking about. I think the majority of anime cosplayers are probably in this category because they've seen every episode of their anime in existence and they know all about their character so when they step into that costume and people look at them, they think "wow this person really knows this character" etc.

Furries in the "derrogatory" sense I believe fall somewhere near Casual/Fantasy. The ones that everyone likes to point fingers at are probably more Devoted/Fantasy. That is, they take their desire to be and experience life  as their favorite character, and translate this into all aspects of their life. They are far less cccommon I think. Is this Furry'ness wrong? Simple answer is no. In the end, everyone is "obsessed" with something (Neytiri anyone? ).

The Na'vi/Furry paradox: For the most part I believe this only exists as a result of poor ability to communitcate. People who call Na'vi furries aare either lacking the necessary vocabulary to express their opinions, are hostile to the idea of the Ná'vi for what ever reasons and seeking to damage their image, or are easily influenced by the loud-mouthed afore mentioned people. I think most dedicated furries would agree that the Na'vi are no more "furry" than Jar-Jar is "furry". The word furry has been degraded like the "gay", and now implies to most people something other than it's original meaning. We could go on all day about what originates these missconceptions but that's psychology and sociology

So where does this leave YOU?: Basicly, if you run into someone who has missconceptions about Furry'ness and Na'vi cosplaying, you can either offer helpful correction OR treat them like internet trolls. Don't feed them, ignore them, avoid them, and move on.

[Kaiatéya]

Hmm... well, since I started the topic let me inject some response to what Robert is saying there.

First off -- I'm a huge anime fan of old as well, and the only reason I haven't cosplayed at anime conventions is that I didn't have the time/money. I wanted to a number of times but just never got around to doing it before I got out of the anime world.

Another thing is that I have nothing against furries. I know some. They can get a little out-there with it, but then again so can we with our hobbies (learning Na'vi? ). I do agree that trying to equate furries with weird sex stuff is pretty much trolling. (Not that it doesn't happen .. believe you me .. one of my friends was .. yeah.)

I also am totally cool with people from the full spectrum of casual costumers up to animistic live-as types (like the lizard man).

So I'm not trying to troll. Just curious.

I guess you got to the heart of what I was asking with your "Na'vi/furry paradox" paragraph there. Are Na'vi an anthropomorphic animal? They are very human-like, but one could easily say that they're already an anthropomorphic projection of something like a cat+monkey+lemur combination. Na'vi aren't human, so I'm not sure saying "human-like" covers it. If they were "just" aliens, like Klingons (not particularly animalistic) or the Nestine Consciousness (not remotely human-shaped) then it wouldn't be a question really, but they are very much like an anthropomorphized terran animal.

[Kesìltsamsiyu]

This could easily be a great troll question, but I don't mean it that way. I'm curious what people think.

Are people who dress up as Na'vi, especially people who do so for the purpose of feeling closer to the Na'vi, feeling like they're one of the tribe, a type of furry? I mean, the Na'vi are vaguely human-like, but then again so are a lot of apes (and I doubt anyone would argue that dressing up as a monkey to get in touch with your inner monkey was not a form of being a furry). There are a lot of cat-like, lemur-like qualities to the Na'vi. And really, what you can't argue with (unless maybe you're Cameron and you know something I don't ) is that they aren't human.

I don't think dressing up as a Na'vi just as a costume is being a furry any more than dressing up as some other random animal as a costume would make you a furry. I think it's the intent of feeling more like a Na'vi and being closer to them that pushes over that line, getting in touch with your inner Na'vi.

I should say, too, I'm not anti-furry. I've considered doing these things too, and if that makes me a furry, I guess that's what I am.

Personally, I'd say no, just because it's my opinion that it's for a community to decide if someone is part of it or not, kind of like -
**CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENT WARNING**

Spoiler

how Mormons claim to be a form of protestant Christians, but I've never head of a non-Mormon protestant who thinks they are, therefore, they are not.

As a furry expatriot and as someone who keeps in continued touch with quite a few furries, they have pretty much universally rejected us, so regardless of motivation, we are not furries IMO. Personally, I've spent enough of my life identifying with furries, so I'm OK with that.

The word furry has been degraded like the "gay", and now implies to most people something other than it's original meaning. We could go on all day about what originates these missconceptions but that's psychology and sociology

Perhaps we're from different walks of life, but I haven't noticed this at all. Most people I've talked to have a somewhat accurate (albeit shallow) understanding of what a furry is, or at least don't think of it in a derogatory sense.