Inside The Mind Of A Furry

This week on my new favorite show, “My Strange Addiction,” we met Lauren, a college student addicted to her furry lifestyle. Her “fursona” Kira, a white and hot pink-striped fox, is the expression of her more outgoing side. This actually shed some light on the furry movement, which previously confounded me. Once I got over the ridiculousness of watching Lauren read Water for Elephants as Kira, I understood that using her “fursona” to hide from the world is not much different than using drugs, alcohol, or eating couch cushion (WTF, by the way) to avoid reality. I think what’s interesting about this show is how addictions are manifesting in our society in such unusual ways. While the underlying issues remain the same — low self-esteem, poor emotional coping mechanisms, unresolved trauma — the presenting symptoms have gotten way more creative. Were people this troubled back in the day or is this what modern life has done to us?