Bear is a subcultural term used primarily by gay men, referring to a subset of men who embrace and subvert traditional masculinity and defy the stereotypes typically applied to gay men, who are usually seen as feminine due to their attraction to men. Bears may be defined by physical appearance, tastes, expression of traditionally gendered traits, or personal affiliation.

The generic image of a bear is a larger man with a hairy body, usually having facial hair and dressing in a typically masculine way. Bears tend to project the aesthetics of working-class manhood in their choices of self-expression, particularly through their personal grooming and appearance.^[1] Often, bear culture is associated with the rural gay community, in which the idea of rugged traditional masculinity is considered both an ideal and a defiance of gay stereotyping that tends to portray gay men as overwhelmingly thin, white, exceptionally well-groomed, lacking in facial and body hair, and averse to physical exertion.

The bear subculture celebrates such masculine traits while queering masculinity through the reputation of bears being affectionate, similar to how femme lesbians defy the heterocentric stereotype of lesbians being masculine by necessity and instead queer femininity.

The bear subculture is not a furry subculture.

https://www.lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Bear