Silent Suiters
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A bluesky post linked to this reddit page showing a display of the "rack of consent badges at a furry convention":
Being ignorant of furry lingo, my first thought was that "silent suiter" was an idiosyncratic spelling for "silent suitor", but Google's AI Overview set me straight:
For more on the etiquette involved, there's the page "Do's and Don'ts of interacting with fursuiters" from 2024 Anthrocon.
And it turns out that there's a whole wikifur, whose Fursuit page seems even better than Wikipedia's. It also includes links to Furry Dictionaries and Furspeech.
Philip Taylor said,
September 29, 2024 @ 1:39 pm
People are willing to pay USD 8-00 for those badges ? The mind boggles …
Jörg Reuter said,
September 29, 2024 @ 2:22 pm
The $8 aren't too much considering that these are small batch badge (SCNR) prints and traveling to and staying at a furry convention is quite expensive.
Dwight Williams said,
September 29, 2024 @ 7:59 pm
Didn't know such things were available.
Thanks for the heads-up!
Laura Morland said,
September 29, 2024 @ 8:49 pm
I still don't know what "silent suitor" means! A mute in a suit?
Not a linguistic, but a psychological observation: these conventioneers seem to be a particularly fragile lot: "Do Not Interact", "Give Me Space", "No Bright Lights Please," "Please Don't Touch Me," "Overwhelmed Easily"… if I felt that way, I'd simply stay home.
Tim Leonard said,
September 29, 2024 @ 9:23 pm
@Laura Morland. The point is that even people who are fragile, as you put it, often want to be able to join in the fun. Furry conventions have developed a culture that allows such people to safely participate, by making it easy and acceptable to say what kinds of interactions are welcomed and what kinds are not. *Precisely* so you wouldn't feel you'd rather stay home.
CCH said,
September 29, 2024 @ 9:41 pm
As someone who is chronically online, and has been since my teens (I think I'm a lot younger than some of the other regular commenters), I know exactly what this means. For the entirely uninitiated, allow me to explain furries and the culture around them as non judgementally as I possibly can.
At the very base level, furries are people who like anthropomorphic cartoon animals. Some people create their own anthropomorphic cartoon animal to represent them, these are called OCs (original characters, as opposed to IP – intellectual property or cartoon animals from actual media. These terms are not just used within the furry world, you'll also find them in fanfiction, for instance). People who have OC anthropomorphic cartoon animal(s) will sometimes dress up like them at events like conventions. They may make their own costumes out of what they can find, but there are also people who will take on commissions to make full mascot style costumes. A silent suiter would be a person in one of these costumes who doesn't talk when wearing it, either because they feel their voice is inappropriate for the character they have made, they are very shy, their character is mute or doesn't speak, or they don't want to be recognised by their voice. As furry conventions can be quite…touchy feely – allegedly, having never been to one myself but heard much about them and trying not to editorialise – having a badge like this would tell people that they don't want to be touched without having to say it.
There's also stuff to do with fetishes but I'm really not getting into that here, you're all welcome to google it in your own time.
Alongside this, a lot of people who are furries have autism, ADHD, and other long-term chronic health issues. I personally have autism and long-term chronic health issues, so I understand the signs' meaning. I do get very easily overwhelmed by a lot of different things, I struggle talking to strangers (and non-strangers), I'm constantly fatigued and suffering from chronic pain. I wouldn't use anything like these badges because I agree they are very sensitive special flower, and I prefer to keep my medical issues to myself unless I can't (though I do use a wheelchair and have a medical alert bracelet, so it's not exactly completely hidden). However, I understand the reasons behind using badges like these, and why some people may choose to rather than trying to communicate verbally even if they are speaking. It can be exhausting having to explain to people who don't quite get it that you're very overwhelmed and may have a meltdown, which you'd rather not do in public. Or that your bluntness is not rudeness and you didn't mean to make someone upset; autism can just be tricky like that when dealing with non-autistic people. Likewise, I'm tired and in pain all the time so I can struggle with things than someone else would.
Like I said, not for me, not any of the context surrounding the photo, but I deeply understand the reasons they were made and why someone might buy/wear them.
Laura Morland said,
September 29, 2024 @ 10:44 pm
Wow, CCH –
I am deeply impressed by your analysis and explanation of furry culture. I just read your response three times, in order to fully absorb it.
It would appear that furry meetings or conventions are a welcome vehicle for many who are unable to comfortably socialize in the so-called "normie world"; they could be said to be providing a service. (Apart from the fetish aspect, which I'd rather not know more about, but clearly that provides a service, too.)
And thank you also for defining "silent suiter," with its multiple possible motivations.
Laura Morland said,
September 29, 2024 @ 11:11 pm
@ Tim Leonard,
I read your response first, and I very much appreciated your point; thank you.
(I viewed that rack of consent badges through my own lens — although most people take me to be an extrovert, I'm actually what the French call a "pantouflarde.")
Philip Taylor said,
September 30, 2024 @ 2:43 am
CCH's response makes it clear that my introductory comment lacked sensitivity, for which I sincerely apologise. However, to put the price aspect in perspective, I recently produced new artwork for one of the bowls clubs of which I am a member — there was a one-off mastering charge of £12-00, and thereafter each embroidered T-shirt cost just £17-00. This was machine embroidery in 10 colours and a diameter of just over 10 cm — https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ob6v6y6c4230mkzectsbn/Quasi-cursive-upper-full-text-small-caps-lower-smaller-diameter-10-colours.png?rlkey=vbs45yfqet7dg9g9qiiolhzx1&dl=0
Karl Weber said,
September 30, 2024 @ 6:28 am
Like others, I appreciated CCH's detailed explanation of some of the customs and motivations in the furry world. As an outsider to that world, I nonethless find the notion of "silent suiters" immediately understandable from my family experiences at Disney World, where the cast members dressed as Mickey, Goofy, and other characters are under strict orders not to speak to avoid spoiling the illusion that they are the "real" characters. (The Disney princesses, who don't wear face-covering costumes, are allowed to speak with guests.)
ardj said,
September 30, 2024 @ 8:31 am
Thanks to CCH and others for explanations (and urbandictionary for "boop").
Though in no way involved in such behaviour (except younger daughter cosplayed for a couple of years) – oh, does acting count ? – I find many of the badges extremely appealing and must remember to get a couple for parties.
Robert S. Coren said,
September 30, 2024 @ 9:32 am
@Karl Weber: I believe the same is true for sports team mascots.
Terry K. said,
September 30, 2024 @ 9:49 am
Do we know that that's $8 USD? Following in the links, I don't see anything indicating what country that picture was taken in. USD is not the only currency that uses this symbol.
Philip Taylor said,
September 30, 2024 @ 10:39 am
No, but we do know that the predominant language is English, so it might be (non-Québécois) Canadian dollars, I suppose. Do you have any other contenders in mind ?
[(myl) There are lots of options, as a few seconds with Google would tell you…]
Terry K. said,
September 30, 2024 @ 12:25 pm
Australia and Mexico were the ones, besides Canada, that came to mind as using that money symbol (in Mexico's case for pesos). Though Mexico seems unlikely since it's all in English. But, yes, there are others.
HS said,
October 1, 2024 @ 5:58 pm
"it might be (non-Québécois) Canadian dollars, I suppose. Do you have any other contenders in mind ?"
"Australia and Mexico were the ones, besides Canada, that came to mind as using that money symbol"
Sigh. Not only is New Zealand constantly left off world maps, it seems that our currency is equally unknown. (Though given its purchasing power, it's not surprising that New Zealanders themselves have been known to refer to it as the New Zealand Peso….)
Lucas B. said,
October 2, 2024 @ 3:43 am
A bit of sleuthing reveals the origin of the badges: https://papayabadger.square.site/
Definitely US dollars.
As for why it costs so much, I'd guess it's a combination of custom item, niche audience, being in a convention (think keychain prices in an amusement park), and furries famously generous spending habits. The suits themselves cost thousands of dollars, and many artists careers are supported by commissioning furry art.
Kakurady said,
October 2, 2024 @ 12:48 pm
It's a surprise to see furry fandom mentioned on Language Log! And I'm heartened to see the warm reception towards furries and those badges here.
I appreciate the informative explanations from everyone in the comments section on the purpose of these badges. I think of these badges as safety tools that allows people to interact exuberantly while respecting differing boundaries, so everyone can have an enjoyable weekend.
These particular 3D printed badges are likely quite thick and durable. I expect them to be at least 1/16" or 3mm thick.
Some conventions may make available a more basic set for free, either by requesting from a volunteer member of the staff, or left out for anyone to pick up during registration. These are usually cardboard or printed ribbon.
Most fursuiters portray their own characters, often one that is their "fursona" – a character they use to represent themselves, and quite often do talk in costume. Some can be quite talkative. A few might even perform publicly as vocalists or masters of ceremonies on stage. But for all these reasons mentioned, some furries prefer to not speak in costume.