Bear Pride Flag 3ft x 5ft Printed Polyester

The bear culture promotes a sense of acceptance and belonging for people of all shapes and sizes, especially those who sport facial and body hair. The bear pride movement evolved as a celebration of self-acceptance, body positivity, and friendship among people who identify as bears or bear-adjacent within the expansive and varied LGBTQ+ community.

The LGBT community is where the bear pride movement got its start in the 1980s. Bear culture evolved as a counternarrative to the prevalent slender and muscular body ideals depicted in mainstream homosexual culture, promoting a wider diversity of body types and aesthetics. Physical characteristics are important, but the bear community also appreciates things like openness, friendliness, and brotherhood. It's a place where people may find community with those who understand them and who share their values of questioning society's standards and embracing their uniqueness.

Designed by Craig Byrnes in 1995, the bear pride flag stands for the ideals and character of the bear community. The horizontal stripes of the flag's design represent different things. Bears of African, Caribbean, or other marginalized backgrounds are represented by the top stripe, which is typically black or dark brown. This stripe represents the need for openness and acceptance within the greater bear movement. The following band, often a beige or light brown color, denotes a bear with thinning or white hair. It represents the natural progression of time and shows respect for the wisdom and experience of the elders within the bear population.

White or gray in the center indicates that the bear has a "silver" or mature taste, regardless of age. The grace and elegance of silver or gray hair are a symbol of the age-related wisdom and experience that comes with it. The subsequent stripe, typically a crimson hue, represents Indigenous, First Nations, and Native American bruins. This marking serves as a symbol of the intersectionality and cultural diversity present in the bear community.

Bears of color of various races and ethnicities are represented by the final stripe, which is typically a dark brown or black color. It stresses the significance of recognizing and appreciating the perspectives and identities of bears from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. The bear pride flag has several meanings to the bear community. It's a representation of our shared humanity. Flying the flag shows support for the bear community, encourages solidarity, and raises awareness of the LGBTQ+ community's acceptance of bears. The International Bear Brotherhood Flag was designed in 1995 and presented to the Bears of San Francisco at the 1996 Bear Rendezvous in San Francisco, California. The colors stand for all nationalities and hair colors of bears throughout the world.