Bear, Otter, Cub etc?

OK, been out and about as a gay man for a while now and I still can't wrap my head around some of the classifications... I am usually attracted to bearish men (hairy chest and/or beards, muscled, older and masculine)

But I am still clueless as to what I am I have a very slim athletic body, and am quite young still (25), with a pretty-boy esque facce... but I have a hairy chest, legs and pits... So I know I am not a twink, but I am definately not a bear by any stretch lol.

So, what's the difference between a bear an otter and a cub? And where would a guy like me be classified?

A Bear is , generally an older guy, big (tubby) and hairy with a beard,

a Cub is a younger version of same and

an Otter is a slim hairy guy.

So there you are, I am sure many others will ahvetheir own take on it but in a nut shell, there you have it!

I need to see more of your body to tell what you are!

you know what you are...you are HOT!


i would call you an otter. I was an otter when younger, now I am getting more bear-ish as I age. I disagree with the above statement that a bear is older and tubby though. many bear can be any age and are not tubby at all. many of them are muscled! true a heavy older hairy man is a bear, but not all bears are heavy older men. I am not heavy (true I could use to loose 10 lbs lol) but likewise I am not the slim swimmers build anymore so I doubt that anyone would consider me an otter still.

I spent last weekend serving at Pride where many Bear related activities were organised. The majority were tubby/large, I don't know whether it's a culture thing but many opted for bear-wear when they put on weight and didn't feel comfortable in nightclubs with gym-bunnies and twinks. I know this because I asked.... the "older" refernece applies as if it didn't the cub term would be redundant....again I asked. Hence my being able to answer quicksilver's initial question.

See, here's why I reject most classifications, even "oh, you know how Men are, you know how Women are"...everyone's definitions are different.

I am a hairy man who is large in stature (I'm 6'2" tall). To me, the term "bear" has always been a hairy guy - any size, any shape.

But to others, a "bear" is a hairy guy who has a bit more weight on him (like huw ginnit says). So, when someone calls me a "bear", they could be calling me a big fat guy...NOT a compliment. Also, calling me a smelly, savage, animal that would kill you as fast as look at you is not a compliment either.

So, there's one person's perspective on this silly "put everyone in a box" concept. Just like expecting all Women, Men, Blacks, Whites, Gays, Straights, Asians, Muslims, Russians, etc. to act and look the same just because you put a label on them, is silly.

Labels are dangerous and can cause trouble and noses to be bent out of shape. Just be who you are, and don't worry about a label.

My two cents...

...but when individuals CHOOSE to adopt those terms....???

and I don't use the term in any sense to disparage, it is purely what I learnt from talking to self indentified Bears, Cubs and Otters. I didn't understand the terminology myself-

You could be 300lbs and hairier than three badgers in a sack, and still not identify as a bear, I wouldn't call you one. It's a matter of chosen identity.

yeah what big meat said
hairy hung bear that stands 6' and is 200#'s
not as hot as i was 10 years ago but still ok.
yes you are an otter till about 35 or so then cub

As far as gay labels go they get quite intricate. This past lazy bear weekend I learned a few new ones, and since Hairison street fair is this weekend I might learn some more.

Bears: general catch all phrase for a mature beefy furry man
Cub: younger furry man
Musclebear: bear with muscles; a furry gymbunny
Polarbear: bear with white fur
Blackbear: African American bear
Pandabear: the hard to find, rare Asian bear
Daddybear: bear who is also a daddy
Leatherbear: bear into S&M
Pradabear: bear who is a label whore
Princessbear: the pretty bears that are too good to talk to anyone not as hot as themselves, also a high maintenance bear
Otter: furry man with a swimmer's build
Silverfox: an attractive older man with mostly silver hair

That's just off the top of my head, as you can see, this could go on and on. I don't know what they call Latino bears... and what the heck is a Wolf; is it the same as an Otter? As for myself I guess I'm just a Puppy

I was going to ask that myself

Here in Puerto Rico, bears are called Oso.

That's alot of terminology. Is there going to be a test on friday?

If you have depression are you a Bi-Polar bear????

*snort* thats a good one.

That was AWEsome!

LMAO.....that was cute.

Just chiming in to say....Wow, I learned something new! I had never heard any of those terms ( except bear and cub, but I didn't really know what they meant) and I worked for the airlines in SFO for quite a while!

Can I ask what boi means, as in what kind of boy?

Ah-- found this on Wikipedia :

Otter - a man who is hairy, but is not large or stocky - typically thinner, or with lean muscle. Slimmer version of a Bear with little pockets of fat like love handles or a tiny gut, but not as lean as a Wolf.

So I think I'd rather be called a Wolf...but I'm more of an Otter.. and if I don't start working out and watching what I eat I'll be on my way to Bear