Being a furry is a lot about expressing yourself.
That’s what fursuiting is about, after all. Same with making art and stickers. We’ve just found a particularly interesting way of expressing ourselves!
We don’t always get to wear our fursuits, though.
Whether it's school, work, a fancy event, or a funeral, there are many occasions when we can’t wear a fursuit.
That doesn’t mean we don’t still get to express ourselves, though. There are plenty of ways to feel like you’re showing off your fursona without suiting!
Here’s a bunch of ways to express your fursona, many of which I’ve done myself.
Playing with Clothes
Personally, I already kind of do this.
When dressing for the day, consider your fursona's colors.
For example, my fursona is mostly black, red, and white. This is mostly because they’re already my favorite colors of mine. Most of my wardrobe is red and black anyway.
You can feel just a little bit like your fursona by dressing in their colors. Too many colors to work with? Choose the main ones, or your favorites.
If you look into your closet and find that you just don’t have the clothes to do that, thrift and second-hand stores are a great option. You’ll find a huge variety of clothing items at cheap prices.
If your fursona is the type to wear clothes, you can, of course, imitate their style.
I have a pair of gloves with fur and paw pads, in the same colors as my fursona. They aren’t full paws, but they are comfortable gloves that look like my fursona’s paws.
If you want to get even more edgy with it, stuff like harnesses is an option. They look cool, they come in a bunch of colors, and they’re just at home at events like raves.
Even if you aren’t going out like that, finding clothes in your closet that your fursona might wear can be fun!
Too many fursonas? Choose just a few to base outfits around. I have two styles-one that works very well with my main sona, and another that goes with another sona.
You might even find that some fursonas have colors that suit certain events better. It’s fun to have a rave-based fursona–the next step is to dress like them for a rave!
Use Those Makeup Skills
Still focusing on color, you can use makeup to imply your fursona.
This can be especially fun if your fursona has certain shapes in its design.
For example, my fursona has a star around one eye. If I’m doing my makeup, I like to add little eyeliner stars around my eyes to express that character design.
You can even do makeup that implies your fursona's species.
I’m sure we’ve all heard of cat-eye makeup. I’ve also caught wind of puppy or fox eyes. Species with big, round eyes? There’s almost definitely a way to show that.
Does your fursona design have makeup? Perfectly emulate that look while you’re going out.
Otherwise, some eyeshadow or lipstick can show off the colors of your fursona.
Bad at makeup?
Start to learn! I’m not great either, but I’ve started to improve.
I also do my makeup in a unique, easy way, using lipstick to make pops of color. There are plenty of ways to do makeup-you just have to learn, or make your own way.
Still super anti-makeup? I get it. A similar option would be nails!
This is, again, easiest if your fursona has fun shapes. I’m not one for nails, but if I were, I’d go for a red-and-black set with star designs.
Stuff like makeup and nails are super common-people won’t see them and assume it’s a furry thing. Plus, non-furries can appreciate nice makeup and nails.
Accessories
Similar to makeup and outfits, you can use accessories to express your fursona.
If your fursona wears jewelry, you can always wear the same or similar jewelry to what they have. My sona has all of my piercings and jewelry that change with mine.
You can also, again, just work off the colors of your fursona. I’m usually wearing red and silver jewelry myself.
If you enjoy bracelet making, or know someone who does, you can even make jewelry with your fursona’s colors. I like making beaded bracelets, so I’ve made a few to go with my partner’s fursuits.
If you like pins, you can get pins that look like your fursona. This could be custom, for your own sona, or just be the right species.
Furry stickers are also super common, and those can go on anything. Phone cases, laptops, etc., you can show off your fursona easily with stickers.
In a more obvious way, you can even walk around with a tail!
Furry-like tails are pretty common in some alternative subcultures, namely, scene culture. You might see non-furries with tails clipped to a belt or bag.
Having a tail like that might get you some looks anyway, but it doesn’t totally broadcast that you’re a furry. Hopefully, you hang out with people cool enough to think it’s cool anyway.
Physical Modifications
This isn’t as scary as it might sound.
Personally, I’m a big fan of hair dyeing. I do it for everything. I also dye my hair myself-dye is cheap, and it’s pretty easy, especially with practice.
I dyed my hair to match my fursona for my first furry convention. My fursona only really has 2 or 3 colors, which made this easy for me.
Hair dye isn’t permanent-you could do the style for one event, and get rid of it the next day. It can also be longer-term. If you do want something more permanent, you might want to go to a salon.
You can also probably get haircuts inspired by your fursona. A lot of people have ‘wolf’ cuts, which have a lot of layers and give a punky, fluffy vibe.
I accidentally gave myself a haircut with two longer pieces near the front. I’ve been told it looks a bit like dog ears.
If your fursona has certain piercings, you probably already want them too. Ear gauges are a common feature in fursonas, and very cool on people.
There are also some piercings that can make you feel like your fursona. Some lip piercings can give the effect of fangs, for one.
Ready for something more permanent? Fursona tattoos are becoming more and more common.
Fursona tattoos could be lowkey, or super obvious and custom.
My partner has a custom tattoo of a fursona of his. I have a handful of fox tattoos in black and red-my fursona species, in the right colors.
I highly recommend researching an artist before getting a tattoo. It’s a huge, permanent decision-but one that can be very fun.
Conclusion
There are a lot of ways to express yourself as a furry.
For many of us, fully wearing a fursuit is the best way to do that. But we can’t always walk around in a fursuit or a head.
If you really want to express your fursona, there are plenty of options. You just have to get creative with it, which furries are known to be good at.
