Yiff
Yiff is a term widely used by the
furry fandom as a slang term in various sexual contexts. The word has a number of different meanings, as explained below.
Encyclopedia
]
Yiff is a term widely used by the
furry fandom as a slang term in various sexual contexts. The word has a number of different meanings, as explained below.
Etymology
The term has been popularised by the
furry Internet roleplaying
MU* community , originally intended as an
onomatopoeic representation of the sound made by mating foxes and, naturally, those who play
anthropomorphic fox characters.
However, while the original meaning still remains, the term quickly developed into a synonym for "sex", "sexy", "aroused", and so on, and nowadays this meaning is the most prevalent. Examples of the word's present usage include "a yiffy fur", meaning a furry who is sexually aroused or active, "yiffy artwork", meaning sexually explicit furry
artwork, "to yiff", meaning to have sex, etc.
An alternative etymology exists; around the time that
yiff came to exist in the furry community, an August 27, 1990 cover story in
Fortune Magazine coined the term "Yiffies", describing a new breed of worker, the "Young, Independent, Freedom-minded Few" . While this generation contained many of the first FurryMUCKers, the connection between the two terms is subject to speculation.
Different meanings
The precise meaning of the word "yiff" and its derivatives can vary, depending on precisely where and by whom the terms are being used.
Being humorously attributed to the sound made by mating foxes, the term is most commonly used to indicate sexual activity or material. This applies to sex , and to sexual arousal and
erotic material causing it - in short, it is used as a catch-all term for anything related to furry sexuality.
Cybersex
Also known as "TinySex" and "TextSex", it is the act in which one or more players engage in a conversation of sorts, where, by using descriptive phrases, their "tinybodies" or
fursonas engage in an act which mirrors sex in real life for the implicitly agreed upon purpose of sexual gratification.
Having originally been popularised in an Internet roleplaying environment, the term is widely known as a reference to cybersex among furries. It refers generally to textual descriptions of the sexual act written through a role playing or persona playing environment.
This is generally the meaning of "yiff" on
MUCKs, and often on
instant messaging systems or chat rooms such as
IRC, AIM or
ICQ.
Erotic or pornographic art
]
Possibly the most widely known definition of "yiff", this meaning involves the
visual arts, particularly
drawing and
painting. The nature of the artwork can vary from slightly erotic poses to heavily
pornographic art . Humor is also often a component of "yiffy" art.
This is a common meaning used on artwork forums and websites. Many furry artists have gallery websites with yiff sections as well.
Derived words
- sexually aroused , sexually arousing , or one frequently sexually aroused
- To or be : to perform cybersex or sexual intercourse, mostly used when describing sex between one fur and another.
- someone that is sexually attractive.
- Noun form of yiffy.
Debates
Yiff probably arouses more debate and dispute within the
furry fandom than any other single subject. Media attention -- including a
Vanity Fair article, an
MTV special and even a C.S.I. episode -- has focused almost exclusively on the yiffy aspects of furry fandom. The large amount of
yiffy art available on the internet is looked down upon by a number of professional artists, and in some cases puts those artists off drawing furry art at all, either because they feel that yiff devalues the whole area of anthropomorphic art, or because they feel that their non-yiffy art will be tarred with the same brush as the yiffy artists by those from outside the fandom.
References
See also
- Fetish
- Animal transformation fantasy
- Microphilia
- Macrophilia
- Genus
- Genus Male
