I've long had an academic and sociological interest in sub-culture identities as well as a keen passion about the concept of neo-tribalism. When you look at the Gay Bear men's community as a whole, you see a 'tribe' that factioned off into it's own community of 'guys like us.' That encompasses a rather large range of Bear types.
THE BEAR BOOK
The Gay Bear Tribe
THE BEAR BOOK
The Gay Bear Tribe
For some it's the big-boned, husky boys that turn their crank, for others it's Bigger Is Better chubba-bubba-belly types, for other's - it's all about the hair Bear - and the fetish for fur. And for still others it's about the burly and beefy hairy muscular Bear men they're so drawn to.
It wasn't till I was an aging 40-something Bear getting older, fatter and out of shape that the MuscleBear wannabe in me 'came out' and I made a commitment to reversing that disturbing trend. Moving out to California to join some sort of tribe of fit men amongst the MuscleBears and make a huge lifestyle change was part of that.
We all choose the kind of Bear life we want day by day, moment by moment. I personally chose NOT to give up and cave-in to a life of ever increasing body weight and related health issues. Becoming a Fit Bear - and not a Fat Bear has been a really hard road. That commitment to integrating exercise into DAILY life and controlling that old Bear's pie-hole isn't easy. I needed to choose a tribe of like minded fit Gay men to align with that.
