As I’ve been browsing through the ever-growing online community of bear & bear aficionados in Tumblr, I just realized just how, in such a short time, our group has grown to astounding proportions.  Just to think, about a decade ago like-minded individuals got to know each other through email lists and chat rooms.  They were smaller and private niche communities that only the persistent and dedicated would find.  With the advent of social networking and instant access to media, our loves, lusts, and fetishes are displayed out in the forefront not just for us but for the rest of the world.

Never had I thought that I’d be living in a time where I’d be inundated by images of bearish and chubby men.  But that is how it is today.  The sharing and delivery of such images and videos come in such a rapid pace that if you blink for a second, you’d miss almost a year’s worth of masculine media (in comparison to a decade ago, for instance).  I feel like an old wheel trying to keep up with the young and tech-savvy kids who are proficient with the language of Facebooks, Twitters, and the like.

The thing is, I have noticed a sort of evolution.  Those of us who were in need of a connection with others who shared our passion found it in the world of the “bear subculture.”  However, diverse groups have come out of that culture.  From the chubs to the brutes, the daddies to the cubs, the furry and the smooth, new groups and types have quickly grown to develop their unique identities.  In short, we share a common trait with them: we love men of larger-than-typical sizes.  However, just because they share such a trait does not necessarily make them a part of the “bear subculture.”

Recently I just involved myself in commenting about the “What is a bear?” debate.  Without even mentioning my stance on this here, let’s just say that no one truly owns the term.  In fact, when I started the idea of “bearmythology,” I created it for people who had an affinity towards bearish-looking men.  So it is in my heart’s content to see other folks like me who discuss about such men without associating it with any particular culture.

They know that they like big guys and that’s just how the way it is.

And as I’m about to leave the online world in a few minutes, I’d like end with these images from a wonderful (and NSFW) blog called The BeefMonger’s Blog…