Bear image dis-order

Pic from http://malepatternboldness.blogspot.com.au

Recently a Facebook friend posted a picture of his new physique in the lead up to his first bodybuilding competition. What followed was 100+ comments regarding the picture. Comments were overwhelmingly supportive of the effort gone into obtaining his new physique. Among the comments were some thoughts from bear friends encouraging his hard work, but also stating also their preference for his 'old' look. It got me thinking about 'bear image' in a new light.

I've been musing about the extent to which we hold other bears accountable for keeping up their 'bear image'. I have experienced this to a lesser extent in the few times that I have shaved my beard off completely. I can vividly remember bears coming up to me in the pub with a startled and shocked look upon their face. "What have you done?" was the general tone. Like my Facebook friend, I was also generously offered the feedback that they preferred my more hirsute image.

Does bear community turn its back upon those among us who lose weight, shave their beard, gain muscle, wax their chest, etc? I wonder if unconsciously we malign those who pursue or experiment with modifying their body in some such way. It gets me wondering if bear community could be only follicle-deep behind our ideals of inclusivity, masculinity and non-attitude.

It could easily be said that this is just one bear expressing their opinion or preference about another, like commenting on someone's fashion. However, I do wonder what would happen if a bear turned up at the pub one week with only one leg? Would bears come up and say, "I preferred you with two legs". Clearly they wouldn't, as that would be crossing the invisible line of taste.

So whats the difference between someone losing weight and losing a leg? Perhaps it comes down to the intent to change oneself in a major way. Maybe it shines a light upon our intolerance for people who intentionally move away from our stereotyped ideals of bearhood. Are we really that superficial? Cheeseburgers for thought.