Yiff is a

slang A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...

term used in the

furry fandom The furry fandom is a subculture interested in Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic animal characters. Some examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, speaking, walking on two legs, and weari ...

to refer to

pornographic Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings ...

content of

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

animal characters. It is considered a

tongue-in-cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...

term in the furry fandom. The term is also used as a way to insult members of the furry fandom, such as in the phrase "yiff in hell". Additionally, the term is also used in the plushie fetish community.

Furry convention A furry convention (also furry con or fur con) is a fan convention, formal gathering of members of the furry fandom – people who are interested in the concept of fictional non-human animal characters with anthropomorphism, human characteristic ...

s usually have strict policies regulating where yiff artwork can be displayed or sold.

History

The term "yiff", within the context of the furry fandom, was initially conceived as part of the "Foxese" language, a series of onomatopoeic sounds used by a group of anthropomorphic fox roleplayers in the 1990s. At the time, the term was non-sexual, translating to an emphatic yes before being used by another group as a generic term for sex. The '' CSI'' episode "

Fur and Loathing "Fur and Loathing" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American crime drama television series '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', and the 74th episode overall. Written by Jerry Stahl and directed by Richard J. Lewis, the episod ...

", which aired on October 30, 2003, increased awareness of the term outside of the furry fandom while misrepresenting and inadvertently contributing to the negative stigma commonly associated with the furry fandom. The word ''yiff'' became mainstream later that decade from anti-furry rhetoric on sites like

4chan 4chan is an anonymous English-language imageboard website. Launched by Christopher "moot" Poole in October 2003, the site hosts boards dedicated to a wide variety of topics, from video games and television to literature, cooking, weapons, mu ...

. According to

Google Trends Google Trends is a website by Google that analyzes the popularity of top search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages. The website uses graphs to compare the search volume of different queries over a certain period of ti ...

, Google searches for the term were more prevalent during the 2000s-2010s, reaching a peak during June 2010 before steadily declining outside of a brief rise in November 2020.

References

{{Pornography Furry fandom Furry pornography Pornography terminology Pornography by genre

History

See also

References