Sweet inside. Part One.
- According to your opinion, what role do bears play in gay culture?
- Bear gay subculture is one of the popular subcultures inside the multifaceted modern gay life. It has emerged in the USA (mainly in CA) in the end of 70's-early 80's and was meant as a reaction on social stereotype of gays as sissy and effeminate men. However, the growing number of gays in the States did not fit and didn't want to keep themselves within these bounds. Such a protest against effeminacy might also be triggered by a growing popularity, especially in the L.A., of fitness, bodybuilding, muscle and lean bodies, usage of steroids in order to sculpt a superman. Hypermasculinity soon won the first place among the most desirable qualities in gay culture and significantly pressed the traditional understanding of gays as "sissies", although it had not been eliminated in full.
Today bear subculture is a real and widespread subculture with big number of its followers who have their own ideas and wide range of attributes, social and sexual roles. Typical bears are grown and self-reliable men over 40 who have stocky, sometimes stout complexion, hairy body, grow beards and mustache.
- Many believe that bear subculture relates itself to BDSM.
- Leather trend is very popular in Europe and America. It is leather that brings closer bear and BDSM subcultures. But they are different.
- How did the bear subculture appear in Russia? Did it develop itself under the influence of the elaborated Western bear subculture?
- A bear in Russia has always been a symbol of strength, power and virility. Up to present day there is no developed widespread bear movement or industry for bears in Russia in comparison with the EU or the US. As well as the gay movement... that might seem to have been established long ago...
In some big cities, e.g. in Moscow, there are special places for gays - clubs, saunas, cafes. But they are being visited mostly by youngsters - twinks or even "sisters" who do not have a trait of a masculinity. But there are other types of men who keep themselves away and feel embarrassed by that kind of public in these places. Why? Because the power of stereotypes is still very strong. Such a manly man, bumpkin, does not want to be associated with a gay because he is a MAN! He might be married or having a success with women but at the same time he understands that he is a bisexual. Well, someone doesn't care about it at all. He lives as he wants to, as he feels comfortable and I believe that is a right way for living.
Bears are also those who are over 40, have gray hair and thick fur all over the body (many of them are shy or embarrassed with the fur). There are no special places for them where they could have feel at ease. Bear movement proclaims manly exterior, sturdy complexion, mustache, beard, fur, meaty and stocky body, not necessarily slender. Stoutness, age, baldness, gray hair, many things that among the majority of gays are deemed non-attractive, are a plus here.
In the end of 90's, due to the influence of foreign Internet bear resources, the national Russian bear sites started to function. In Summer 1999 for the first time ever five bears met in Moscow for a bear garden - medvezhatnik. Agreed, met and went to take sun bath in a park zone with a lake near Zelenograd (A remote separate part of Moscow). And so it has started.
Bears began to meet each other more, gather and party, have promenades, relax in nature. I joined the movement in 2000 while I was having a bear party at home. I wanna thank all of them who did not turn me away - then a thin and beardless young man - but were kind and caring to me.
Since then a lot of time has passed and many things have changed. And I still believe that our Moscow Bears club will grow out from Moscow -into the all-Russian. It may have transformed already into the nation-wide club because bears from other Russian cities come and join us in medvezhatniki. The number of bears from former Soviet republics or even from other countries who visit our weekly bear gardens on Wednesdays in the SpaVoda Entertainment or on Thursdays in the "Elf" Cafe, is growing steadily. This July we welcome our guests on traditional bear pick-nicks and bear beach in Strogino every sunny weekends.
We did not get loose from our foreign brotherhood communities, we have just did not run them down. We are developing in a special way dictated by Russian realities and way of thinking.
- To be a bear one must be hairy and stout? Some people believe that bears are those who stopped looking after themselves and got a fatty-belly. Is it true?
- Bear gay community unites not only "classic bears" - sturdy big men with beards and hairy body. There are chubs who might have no fur at all. Big bodies of chubs do not mean that a man is not fit or is not looking after himself. The big body not necessarily means that he stopped to look after himself, the cause may be hidden his genetic propensity for obesity, slower metabolism and so on. The problem is how comfortably does he feel himself in such a big body. That's why no one has a right to judge another only because he is not fit. Many big men admirers are loosing their mind when near a good-hearted fellow with a paunch. The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin' ;)
No doubt there are muscle bears! Mens sana in corpore sano (in a healthy body there is a healthy spirit) - that principle lays in the very heart of bear community.
Of course there are bears who don't mind to have a mug or two of beer (especially in a company of like-minded persons), love to sleep, watch soccer. And quite the contrary beer belly does not grow them plain at all!
Read the second part >>
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
Censorship in Russia: Gay.Ru has been added to Russia's centralized internet blacklist
31 Mar. 2018
Putin decorated Milonov - Orthodox crusader against gay people - with the Order of Saint Vladimir for "Good, Honor and Glory"
13 Sep. 2015
Female team from Moscow won the IGLFA European Championship III
18 Jun. 2015
Moscow’s Chief Rabbi about gays: "would not hang myself, but would support those who do so"
9 Jun. 2015
[VIDEO] Those who violated the Silence Day action promised to do the same to everyone who supports LGBT
20 Apr. 2015
Tomsk to have the first "Siberian Athens" - LGBT competition in 3 sports
19 Apr. 2015
Single pickets in Saint Petersburg to support LGBT teenagers
17 Apr. 2015
- Bear gay subculture is one of the popular subcultures inside the multifaceted modern gay life. It has emerged in the USA (mainly in CA) in the end of 70's-early 80's and was meant as a reaction on social stereotype of gays as sissy and effeminate men. However, the growing number of gays in the States did not fit and didn't want to keep themselves within these bounds. Such a protest against effeminacy might also be triggered by a growing popularity, especially in the L.A., of fitness, bodybuilding, muscle and lean bodies, usage of steroids in order to sculpt a superman. Hypermasculinity soon won the first place among the most desirable qualities in gay culture and significantly pressed the traditional understanding of gays as "sissies", although it had not been eliminated in full.
- Many believe that bear subculture relates itself to BDSM.
- Leather trend is very popular in Europe and America. It is leather that brings closer bear and BDSM subcultures. But they are different.
- How did the bear subculture appear in Russia? Did it develop itself under the influence of the elaborated Western bear subculture?
- A bear in Russia has always been a symbol of strength, power and virility. Up to present day there is no developed widespread bear movement or industry for bears in Russia in comparison with the EU or the US. As well as the gay movement... that might seem to have been established long ago...
Bears are also those who are over 40, have gray hair and thick fur all over the body (many of them are shy or embarrassed with the fur). There are no special places for them where they could have feel at ease. Bear movement proclaims manly exterior, sturdy complexion, mustache, beard, fur, meaty and stocky body, not necessarily slender. Stoutness, age, baldness, gray hair, many things that among the majority of gays are deemed non-attractive, are a plus here.
Bears began to meet each other more, gather and party, have promenades, relax in nature. I joined the movement in 2000 while I was having a bear party at home. I wanna thank all of them who did not turn me away - then a thin and beardless young man - but were kind and caring to me.
Since then a lot of time has passed and many things have changed. And I still believe that our Moscow Bears club will grow out from Moscow -into the all-Russian. It may have transformed already into the nation-wide club because bears from other Russian cities come and join us in medvezhatniki. The number of bears from former Soviet republics or even from other countries who visit our weekly bear gardens on Wednesdays in the SpaVoda Entertainment or on Thursdays in the "Elf" Cafe, is growing steadily. This July we welcome our guests on traditional bear pick-nicks and bear beach in Strogino every sunny weekends.
We did not get loose from our foreign brotherhood communities, we have just did not run them down. We are developing in a special way dictated by Russian realities and way of thinking.
- To be a bear one must be hairy and stout? Some people believe that bears are those who stopped looking after themselves and got a fatty-belly. Is it true?
- Bear gay community unites not only "classic bears" - sturdy big men with beards and hairy body. There are chubs who might have no fur at all. Big bodies of chubs do not mean that a man is not fit or is not looking after himself. The big body not necessarily means that he stopped to look after himself, the cause may be hidden his genetic propensity for obesity, slower metabolism and so on. The problem is how comfortably does he feel himself in such a big body. That's why no one has a right to judge another only because he is not fit. Many big men admirers are loosing their mind when near a good-hearted fellow with a paunch. The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin' ;)
No doubt there are muscle bears! Mens sana in corpore sano (in a healthy body there is a healthy spirit) - that principle lays in the very heart of bear community.
Of course there are bears who don't mind to have a mug or two of beer (especially in a company of like-minded persons), love to sleep, watch soccer. And quite the contrary beer belly does not grow them plain at all!
Read the second part >>
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes
Nikita Terskiy
Photos by Bobear
Photos by Bobear
Life in Russia:
Other Publications
Most popular
Most popular
Last publications
Last publications
Life in Russia Trans
The Moscow Times: Russia's Transgender Community Struggles for Acceptance
The Washington Post: Surprising Russian reaction to gay marriage in the U.S.
Trans
Transgender Russians often keep a low profile, worried how they will be treated by friends, colleagues and family members.
Life in Russia
Since 2013, Russia has had a law on the books banning the spread of gay "propaganda" as a means of "protecting children from information advocating for a denial of traditional family values." In the two years since, little progress has been made toward creating a more inclusive, safe space for gays
