Your heart is beating faster in your chest, sweat is gathering on your brow and you are starting to second guess eating that Chinese fast-food for lunch. Yes, it is now time to explore the world, to start seeing who and what is out there. It is time to date.

Are you ready to date? You check your outfit, hair, aroma, breath and tail. You are ready to take the dating world by storm. Wait — did you just say “tail”?

Modern society is full of many diverse and interesting subcultures, and one subculture has slowly crept from the sidelines, appearing in mainstream media. Television shows like “CSI” and “Tori & Dean: Inn Love” have recently exposed the world to what a “furry” is. However, how accurate are their portrayals?

Cien Conner, senior in music education at Kansas State University, said he thinks recent media portrayals have only shown a small part of what it means to be a furry. Furry is a broad term that describes an individual who has interest in anthropomorphic animals, Conner said.

According to www.anthrocon.org, Furry fandom is an artistic and literary genre that is practiced and enjoyed by thousands worldwide.

Think Bugs Bunny, an anthropomorphic animal who is given the attribute of human intelligence, facial expressions, anatomy, speech, bipedalism and clothing. Conner said this interest can range from a respect of their beauty, being inspired by them for art, religiously worshiping them and, yes, even a sexual attraction to them.

Furry fetish, the sexual attraction to furries, is also a broad category, Conner said. It is not to be confused with bestiality, the sexual attraction to another species. Some individuals get turned on by the idea of furries. Others enjoy doing the horizontal mambo while in “fursuit gear” — costumes that range from ears or tails to full head-to-toe costumes that can cost more than $1,000. The list also contains plushophilia, which is sex with stuffed animals.

Conner said he thinks most individuals on campus have little or no knowledge of the furry fandom.

“People just think I am a weirdo because I walk around with a tail,” he said.

Those who are aware of what the furry fandom is seem to associate it with only a sexual concept. Though Conner said he thinks furries are more open, he does not feel sex is any more common in a furry relationship. This could be because of the larger percentage of homosexuals — which has historically had more progressive views on sexuality — in the furry community.

Relationships can have much variance in the culture. One example is that of a “pet,” which is a caretaker or master-styled relationship. Often partners are referred to as “mates” rather than more traditional boyfriend or girlfriend.

As far back as he can remember, Conner said he has had an interest in anthropomorphic animals, but it was not until he came to Kansas State University that he really discovered he was not alone. He said he feels furries are much like any subculture.

“It is kind of like coming out as gay, and I know some people who it was actually worse for,” he said.

Though he said he has never faced a largely negative response, Conner does not miss the stares he gets when wearing his tail.

“Eventually, you just develop a thick skin,” he said.