Furries, therians, Tarzans and now quadrobics: Acting like animals is the new rage as people are now exercising like one

Charlie Kirk's killer, Tyler Robinson, had a "furry fixation", as per police. Furries are a group of people who have an interest in anthropomorphic animal characters, that is, animals who walk, talk and act like humans. They dress up like animals, and there is mostly a sexual connotation to them. Now, a new "fitness" trend around this has emerged, although followers dismiss claims that the two are interlinked. It is known as "Quadrobics", where people put on animal masks and walk on all fours. The wildly bizarre fitness trend has people jumping around like animals. Besides the furries, there are people who identify as animals and have been seen dressed as dogs and cats, complete with a leash held by another person, their "master." Such people belong to therianthropy, a community of people who identify as nonhuman. However, followers of Quadrobics stress they are completely different from both these groups - therians and furries. They say the fitness trend is not about pretending to be animals, but about how physically strenuous walking on all fours is. A TikToker told New York Post that she saw visible results after getting on the Quadrobics fitness trend. Also Read: Does ASMR really reduce anxiety? Experts reveal how whispering videos affects your brain

Quadrobics, furry subculture and therianthropy

Soleil - known as wild.soleil on social media, said, "I’ve actually lost a lot of weight since I started doing it, and I really see the definition in my body. I started getting a six-pack. Try it for five minutes and you will be out of breath." While stressing the physical benefits of Quadrobics, Soleil says it is not essential to wear animal masks. However, she wears cat masks as she is drawn to the mountain ibex. Walking like animals while wearing faux paws and animal masks seemingly suggests that there is little difference between those who follow Quadrobics and therians. However, the latter community insists they are different from therians as they do not identify as animals, and simply don the persona for physical benefits.

Tarzan Movement, moving like animals - Why are humans dressing up as animals

Then there is the Tarzan Movement, another thing that gets followers to practice animal-like movement, something humans did at one point during evolution. Alexia Kraft de la Saulx, a Belgian-born documentary filmmaker, told The Post that she discovered it in Barcelona when she heard about a "random guy doing monkey movements in the trees". It was Victor Manuel Fleites Escobar, founder of the Tarzan Movement, a primal movement offshoot. This is again different from all three, as it involved going back to how our ancestors moved - crawling, climbing, walking and squatting. He even swings from branches like monkeys. She made a documentary on the Tarzan Movement in 2022. After walking on all fours, climbing trees and swinging from branches, she started feeling stronger. Alexia says it is "almost like a spiritual practice", adding, "You enter a meditative state for sure,' she told The Post."

All these trends revolve around animal instincts - yet they are different from each other. Meanwhile, netizens are confused about them. Does dressing up as animals mean they are attracted to animals? Followers of the Tarzan Movement and Quadrobics are clear that is not the case.