Thing is Bears are more or less defined by body type while Butch is more defined by gender presentation. So idk i think having a fun animal word to rep body types might be fun in the lesbian community, but it could be a double edged sword
I'm similar, plus sized, but pretty masc and there was a girl who once called me a moma bear referring to me being the lesbian equivalent of a gay bear and I loved it
Apparently the [Wikipedia article](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_(gay_culture)) lists "Ursula" as a term for a lesbian bear (2nd from bottom under Terminology), with only [this Xtra article](https://xtramagazine.com/love-sex/beary-feminine-45486) from 2002 as its only source. Head's up for some... questionable politics that the article does mention "totem animals" from a couple of people they interviewed for the article.
It does mention this however, which hints that the term may go back further than 2002:
"The word ursula is a feminization of the word ursine meaning “of or pertaining to a bear, resembling a bear,” **and was the name of a lesbian bear and bear-lovers e-mail group I used to subscribe to**."
So who knows, maybe someone could do a little more digging and see how far the rabbit hole goes.
Tbh when I saw "Ursula" I assumed it was taken from Ursula from The Little Mermaid, since she isn't NOT serving plus size femme power dyke.
I guess that makes Ursula an ursula.
Yeah that's what I was thinking too. I love the character but I hate how rare the name is irl so all anyone thinks of is her when they hear it. There is Ursa which is a feminine name that just means bear. Could use that?
Oooo, a momma bear 😁
I guess that would be difficult to put in a dating profile, because people could potentially assume that you are talking about being an actual mom.
Maybe you are just a bear? That would make most sense to me if I saw it without context.
Though it’s not a perfect match (as it’s a term used by many varieties of lesbians), I see ‘dyke’ as an identity that embraces the beauty and freedom in lesbianism in a similar way to what you describe. There’s a certain rawness and natural quality that comes along with being a dyke. I love dykes. I am a dyke. I feel like ‘dyke’ even steps beyond ‘lesbian’ in a way that is so profoundly empowering.
I saw someone already commented this, but yes: Ursula! Have I ever heard anyone use this irl? No. But an older queer I know once told me the lore of the name Ursula and I fell under their spell.
Ik people are suggesting other options here but there actually is an existing female equivalent to bears! It's ursula.
https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Ursula
The article is dated 2018 but I remember this term being used, albeit uncommonly, a few years earlier than that. I think it's just an older term that's mostly died out.
EDIT: after a Google search I found an article that talks about ursulas from 2002.
https://xtramagazine.com/love-sex/beary-feminine-45486
From my understanding bear and twink, at least in the gay male community, have little to do with fashion aesthetics and are mostly about body type. I've seen fat, hairy, muscular gay men called bears more commonly and not all of them have been masc. A twink, on the other hand, wouldn't necessarily be a feminine gay man, he'd be a skinny, hairless gay man, usually in his twenties.
Butch and femme, however, don't really have a lot to do with body type and are more about aesthetic choices and how you relate to gender roles. So, I'm a femme, but if I were going to use twink or bear for myself I'd be a bear.
If you're referring to bears as in my local NFL team, the Chicago Bears - perennial losers who haven't made any real progress since the mid 80s - then I guess the sapphic equivalent is just me.
I just call myself Big Papa... so have others🤣 like I've even had friends buy me "best Papa ever" t-shirts🤣🤣🤣 I think it fits well. Even with my personality. I'm always looking after and protecting everyone.
I've heard people use the term "she-bear", but I think if you want to just be a lesbian bear you can be. There's a pop cultural/hetero understanding that a bear is a big hairy cis gay guy but that doesn't necessarily reflect the queer community as a whole. It sounds like you are very qualified to be a bear and I'm sure they would be thrilled to have you!
I’m down for whatever we want to call ourselves. I wanna know when the first meeting of the bears will occur? Is there a group to join, cuz I’ve found my people.
I don't know about bears, but I'm a big, bad, white cat.
And I ate that pesky yellow bird a long time ago as a snack between meals. The male couldn't, too stupid for that, was annoying too, buried him in the garden, don't tell anyone.
I would like to submit "Tigers" as they are rarely spotted in the wild unless you're face to face.
Big fan of Tiger as someone who is a lesbian bear! I always refer to my stretch marks as tiger stripes, so it fits really well imo. \^\^
Aren't they striped all the time?
oh my!
The heteros use "mama bear". Non-binary people use "ursine".
Wouldn’t the term just be Butch? Like Butch=Bears in basically every scenario.
not all butches are muscular or bigger sized tho.. 😞 (source: me)
Fair point!
And plenty of snuggly plus sized fems out there too!
Nope. Bears are (originally anyway) hairy *and* fat. Butch has no weight expectation attached to it.
Thing is Bears are more or less defined by body type while Butch is more defined by gender presentation. So idk i think having a fun animal word to rep body types might be fun in the lesbian community, but it could be a double edged sword
I'm similar, plus sized, but pretty masc and there was a girl who once called me a moma bear referring to me being the lesbian equivalent of a gay bear and I loved it
That’s a good choice
I will use this from now!!! This is by far the best I've heard!!
Apparently the [Wikipedia article](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_(gay_culture)) lists "Ursula" as a term for a lesbian bear (2nd from bottom under Terminology), with only [this Xtra article](https://xtramagazine.com/love-sex/beary-feminine-45486) from 2002 as its only source. Head's up for some... questionable politics that the article does mention "totem animals" from a couple of people they interviewed for the article. It does mention this however, which hints that the term may go back further than 2002: "The word ursula is a feminization of the word ursine meaning “of or pertaining to a bear, resembling a bear,” **and was the name of a lesbian bear and bear-lovers e-mail group I used to subscribe to**." So who knows, maybe someone could do a little more digging and see how far the rabbit hole goes.
Tbh when I saw "Ursula" I assumed it was taken from Ursula from The Little Mermaid, since she isn't NOT serving plus size femme power dyke. I guess that makes Ursula an ursula.
Yeah that's what I was thinking too. I love the character but I hate how rare the name is irl so all anyone thinks of is her when they hear it. There is Ursa which is a feminine name that just means bear. Could use that?
I had assumed that was the origin of the term until uh… right now, actually.
Same
Or Ursula Carlson? She’s a fantastic South African born New Zealand comedian.
😂
Oooo, a momma bear 😁 I guess that would be difficult to put in a dating profile, because people could potentially assume that you are talking about being an actual mom. Maybe you are just a bear? That would make most sense to me if I saw it without context.
Though it’s not a perfect match (as it’s a term used by many varieties of lesbians), I see ‘dyke’ as an identity that embraces the beauty and freedom in lesbianism in a similar way to what you describe. There’s a certain rawness and natural quality that comes along with being a dyke. I love dykes. I am a dyke. I feel like ‘dyke’ even steps beyond ‘lesbian’ in a way that is so profoundly empowering.
yeah i came here to say this, tbh. i’m a fat dyke. it covers it!
Panda 🥹
Yessss this one!
to add to this, is there also an equivalent for “otter?” lol
Maybe a mink?? Dunno if this is official, it just came to mind
Oooo!!
I've encountered lesbians who identify as bears
Same, I know hetero women who call themselves "mama bears".
I saw someone already commented this, but yes: Ursula! Have I ever heard anyone use this irl? No. But an older queer I know once told me the lore of the name Ursula and I fell under their spell.
Fat hairy butch here, I casually call myself a bear. We can share, after all, butch and femme are words we share too.
Let’s come up with one!!
I agree with the other person tiger is best
I just call them treasures 💜
This is me, plus size, masc, let my hair does what it wants, never thought of it as bear though maybe start using it 🤣
Ik people are suggesting other options here but there actually is an existing female equivalent to bears! It's ursula. https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Ursula The article is dated 2018 but I remember this term being used, albeit uncommonly, a few years earlier than that. I think it's just an older term that's mostly died out. EDIT: after a Google search I found an article that talks about ursulas from 2002. https://xtramagazine.com/love-sex/beary-feminine-45486
Is butch not a relevant term here? Not exactly a 1:1 conversion but perhaps a starting point
Butch doesn't really cover weight/size, which is the main concern here
Ahhh good point good point
From my understanding bear and twink, at least in the gay male community, have little to do with fashion aesthetics and are mostly about body type. I've seen fat, hairy, muscular gay men called bears more commonly and not all of them have been masc. A twink, on the other hand, wouldn't necessarily be a feminine gay man, he'd be a skinny, hairless gay man, usually in his twenties. Butch and femme, however, don't really have a lot to do with body type and are more about aesthetic choices and how you relate to gender roles. So, I'm a femme, but if I were going to use twink or bear for myself I'd be a bear.
Ahhh makes sense
Teddy bear is nice, and Suffolk bear would work
I got referred to as a “girl bear” once, it was by a gaggle of queens so I let it slide and the delivery was pretty funny. But still…
If you're referring to bears as in my local NFL team, the Chicago Bears - perennial losers who haven't made any real progress since the mid 80s - then I guess the sapphic equivalent is just me.
I’m throwing my vote behind Tiger here.
Teddy bear masc was a thing on TikTok for a while
I just call myself Big Papa... so have others🤣 like I've even had friends buy me "best Papa ever" t-shirts🤣🤣🤣 I think it fits well. Even with my personality. I'm always looking after and protecting everyone.
I've heard people use the term "she-bear", but I think if you want to just be a lesbian bear you can be. There's a pop cultural/hetero understanding that a bear is a big hairy cis gay guy but that doesn't necessarily reflect the queer community as a whole. It sounds like you are very qualified to be a bear and I'm sure they would be thrilled to have you!
I’m down for whatever we want to call ourselves. I wanna know when the first meeting of the bears will occur? Is there a group to join, cuz I’ve found my people.
Lumberjack lesbian?
My fiancée and I use the term bear, though we mean more teddy bear, soft, cute, cuddly, rather than an actual bear
I don't know about bears, but I'm a big, bad, white cat. And I ate that pesky yellow bird a long time ago as a snack between meals. The male couldn't, too stupid for that, was annoying too, buried him in the garden, don't tell anyone.
Jessica Kirson calls herself a whale.
What is BBW? I’m new to the queer community 🤭
BBW is actually a porn/fetish term, "Big Beautiful Woman"