Probably a very stupid question

Hi barbarian dude/ttes, I decided to try out playing a barb as my second character, so I've been reading the guides and they all recommend the tiger form. I have no idea what that's even about since it seems to be unlocked at a much later level (currently level 4) but I made a panda barb thinking there's no difference except aesthetically. He looked so silly and it matched my friend's venomancer

So my stupid question is this: does it matter what type of animal I choose when customising the barb before playing? Can I just continue with my silly-looking barb with no problems?