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[[File:Bear.png|thumb
[[File:Trans bear.png|thumb|The transgender bear flag]]
[[File:Non-binary bear.png|thumb|The non-binary bear flag]]
'''Bear '''is a subcultural term used primarily by [[Vincian|gay men]], referring to a subset of [[Male|men]] who embrace and subvert traditional [[Masculine|masculinity]] and defy the stereotypes typically applied to gay men, who are usually seen as [[feminine]] due to their attraction to men. Bears may be defined by physical appearance, tastes, expression of traditionally gendered traits, or personal affiliation.
The generic image of a bear is a larger man with a hairy body, usually having facial hair and dressing in a typically masculine way. Bears tend to project the aesthetics of working-class manhood in their choices of self-expression, particularly through their personal grooming and appearance.<ref>
The bear subculture celebrates such masculine traits while [[Queer|queering]] masculinity through the reputation of bears being affectionate, similar to how [[femme]] [[Lesbian|lesbians]] defy the heterocentric stereotype of lesbians being masculine by necessity and instead queer femininity.
The bear subculture is not a [[
== Culture ==
Bear culture originated in San Francisco in the 1980s.<ref>
Bear physicality originally referred to larger, heavy-set cisgender men men who were middle-aged. At first, the assumption was that most bears were gay men. However, [[Bisexual|bi]] men have historically been at the front of bear culture alongside gay men.<ref>
* '''Cubs''', younger bears.
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*[[Otter|'''Otters''']], leaner bears.
* '''Leather bears''', bears who may be more involved in leather and BDSM cultures than the average bear.
* '''[[Ursula|Ursulas]]''', historically '''lesbears''',<ref>
* '''[[Femme Bear|Femme bears]]''', queer femme
*'''Trans bears''', [[achillean]] [[transmasculine]]
Some communities use more specific terminology to encompass men who may not be able to fit the general physical stereotype of a 'bear' and to make clear their inclusion in the community, such as "polar bear" for older men. However, the use of racialized terms for non-white bears, such as "panda bear" for East-Asian men, has come under scrutiny amongst bears.<ref>
== Flag ==
The bear flag consists of seven stripes in various shades of brown and gold, with a bear’s pawprint in black in the upper left quadrant. The colors are designed to reflect different real-world species of bears and thus celebrate the diversity of men encompassed in the bear community, emphasizing its origins as the other side of the exclusive urban gay culture.
It was designed in 1995 by Craig Byrnes, who had spent extensive time producing a project about the bear community and wanted a flag to include in his research.<ref>
The transgender bear flag was created by the now deactivated tumblr user beartrans.
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==References==
<references />
[[Category:Identity]]
[[Category:Presentation]]
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