There are a lot of comments on Twitter on this topic, some very amusing. The comment that struck me the most was “The explosion of gender identities is a recurring sign of cultural collapse throughout the history of civilization.”
The following is a copy and paste of an article by Vihanya Rakshika in The Straits Times (Singapore)
Gone to the dogs: Hundreds of human canine wannabes gather in Berlin
Individuals at the event were dressed in dog costumes, crawling on their fours and communicating by howling and barking.
Hundreds of people who say they identify as dogs attended a meeting at the Potsamer Platz railroad station, in central Berlin, on Tuesday.
According to the New York Post, nearly 1,000 of these “canine beings” turned up.
Videos of attendees circulating on social media and news platforms show individuals dressed in realistic full-body costumes or donning dog masks, with some crawling on all fours and communicating by howling and barking.
Some netizens have ridiculed the attendees, while others wondered how one might use the toilet dressed as a dog, or why they needed to wear masks if they identified as dogs.
“So you put on a mask to show your identity?” asked one user on X.
“Another Ruff night in the city center,” quipped another.
This unconventional meeting follows news of a [man in Japan, known as Toco] (Japanese man who spent nearly $20,000 on dog costume gets cage to fulfil canine fantasy | The Straits Times), who bought a hyperrealistic dog suit for US$14,000 (S$19,100) to “transform” himself in a dog.
Toco had previously told the New York Post that he wanted to meet others with similar canine aspirations, hoping that a community of like-minded individuals could be formed.
Others who have found fame online by embracing their canine identities include Mr Tom Peters, a 34-year-old Briton man who identifies as a dalmatian, and Mr Toru Ueda, a Tokyo engineer who spent US$23,000 on a custom wolf suit.
The 32-year-old told The Times that wearing his costume frees him from human interactions and troubles.