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Twink (gay slang)

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Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan has been described in media, and has described himself, as a twink.[1][2][3][4]

Twink is gay slang for a man who is usually (but not always) in his late teens to twenties whose traits may include a slim to average physique, a youthful appearance, little or no body hair, and flamboyancy.[5][6][7] Twink is used both as a neutral descriptor, which can be compared with bear,[8] and as a pejorative.[5][9]

Etymology

Two Twinkies, one of the possible origins for the term

The exact origins of the term twink are disputed. Some trace its first appearance to 1963, although it may be derived from an older British gay slang term twank, which means: "The quarry of a homosexual prostitute (male); a man willing and ready to become any dominant man's 'partner'".[10] Oxford Dictionaries claims twink has origins in the 1970s.[11][12] Another possible origin of the term may be a derivation from the American snack cake Twinkie, commonly regarded as the quintessential junk food. The food is described as "little nutritional value, sweet to the taste, and creme-filled";[13][14][15] by comparison, the young men are described as "short, and blond, and full of creme",[14] with creme being a euphemism for semen.[14][16]

A backronym has been constructed for twink, according to which it stands for "'teenaged, white, into no kink", although these specified traits are not universally accepted as either necessary or sufficient to classify an individual as a "twink".[17][18]

Usage

In his book Never Enough (2007), about a murder committed in 2003 in Hong Kong, described by the New York Times Book Review as hard-boiled clichés with a cartoonish first impression,[19] Joe McGinniss describes a court case in which twink was defined as "a gay slang term used to denote an attractive, boyish-looking gay man between the ages of 18 and 23, slender ectomorph and with little or no body hair, often blond, often but not necessarily Caucasian."[20]

It has also been sparingly used to describe straight male celebrities who are skinny and have a youthful appearance, like Timothée Chalamet,[21][4][22][23] although some object it to being used to refer to non-gay men.[24]

Gay subculture

Grindr survey asking users what subculture they identify with
Grindr survey asking users what subculture they identify with prior to its update in 2017, using twink as an example

The term also serves to identify a subculture within gay culture for which members of the community may self-identify, but their stable assurance mostly comes from acceptance by other members. The subculture, as examined now, serves as a purely physical marker for attributes any one person may hold and/or acquire, highly dependent on normative society's take on beauty standards as a whole and what the community puts forth and prescribes to.[25]

Grindr, a popular dating app for gay men, lists the term as one of many "tribes" for users to "identify themselves with a niche group and filter their search to help find their type of guy."[26]

In Context

Considering the surrounding words or circumstances, a "Twink" can have multiple roles or duties other than just appearing a certain way in looks. While being one of the most commonly seen form of Gay Man in the media, Twinks can come in several different shapes, sizes, races, or sexual orientations. Due to their abundance, Twinks are often utilized as helpers or stage hands in the Club Scenes. During Drag shows for example, after a performer has left the stage you may see 1 or more smaller gentlemen scurrying across the floor picking up anything the performer may have dropped (money, coats, a whole wig) and returning it backstage before the next entertainer appears. More than likely, other Twinks may be already stationed in the back working as dressers, running messages to the DJ, or retrieving drinks for the entertainers. Those who are not directly aiding the entertainers are still unknowingly working in the main room/performance area, projecting what some call "Twink Energy" into the atmosphere. Due to their commonly youthful spirits, a Twink will stand their ground watching the performances, hooting and hollering for the entertainers, which in turn boosts the morale of the room, leading first-timers or more reserved patrons to become more enthusiastic and interactive with the Drag Show. While one may not always fit the more rigid physical description of what a "Twink" may be, any person can be capable of holding this "Twink Energy" to help support their community in a physical setting.

Gay pornography

File:French Twinks Prowler Awards 2018.jpg
Models of gay porn studio French Twinks with the producer (rightmost) at Prowler Porn Awards 2018

The term is often modified by various descriptors (e.g. femme twink, Euro twink, muscle twink) and is commonly used in the gay pornography industry.[7][27][28]

Essayist Zeb J. Tortorici notes that gay twink porn thrives on the production and performance of "consumable and visually/anally receptive masculinity."[29] A twink is "memorable for his outer packaging", not his "inner depth".[14] Twink can be seen as a popular subgenre in gay porn widely consumed across the globe.[30] In gay pornographic content, a twink usually, but not in all cases, plays the role of the submissive and receiving character commonly known as a bottom.

Analysis

Susan Driver characterized the word twink as relying on "ageist and racist tropes of youth and white desirability".[30][10] In regards to the concept, Driver describes it as "a young, white, and performed masculinity that can be fetishized, consumed, ... clearly coded in terms of race and age",[30] thus establishing the intersection for which race and age come together to create a hyper-sexualized denomination, often associated with sexual acts and the pornographic industry.[30]

Jones, Ciardha, and Elliott observed that the use of twink pornography—depicting men in their late teens or early 20s who are typically of slim build—was mentioned by some users that are "exclusively attracted to children" as a legal outlet for sexual release.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ Davis, Davey (28 August 2018). "Troye Sivan Talks Being a Queer Icon — And Being Labeled a Bottom". Them. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  2. ^ Harmsworth, Andrei (11 June 2023). "Troye Sivan says he's 'transitioning into a white twunk'". PerthNow. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  3. ^ Sayre, Justin Elizabeth (10 May 2022). From Gay to Z: A Queer Compendium. Chronicle Books. p. 250. ISBN 978-1-4521-8387-9.
  4. ^ a b Mezzolani, Ario (1 December 2023). "The Twink King: from Antinous to Troye and Timothée, the beauty of humanity". Lampoon Magazine.
  5. ^ a b Wright, Les (2001). The Bear Book II: Further Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Subculture. Haworth Press. p. 8. ISBN 0789006367.
  6. ^ "The Four Young Murder Victims of Serial Killer Stephen Port". ITV News. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016.
  7. ^ a b Williams, Joe (8 May 2015). "Man Arrested for Having 'Twink' Images on His Computer". Pink News. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  8. ^ Baker, Paul (2004). Fantabulosa: A Dictionary of Polari and Gay Slang. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 79. ISBN 0-8264-7343-1. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  9. ^ Sunderland, Mitchell (25 February 2015). "It's Hard Out Here for a Twink". News. Vice. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  10. ^ a b Partridge, Eric (2006). A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge. p. 2025. ISBN 9781134963652. Retrieved 27 August 2015 – via Archive.org.
  11. ^ "Twinkie". Oxford Dictionary. Oxford Press. Archived from the original on 10 January 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  12. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary".
  13. ^ Baker, Paul (2002). Polari – The Lost Language of Gay Men. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26180-5. Retrieved 10 July 2008 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ a b c d Reuter, Donald F. (2006). Gay-2-Zee: A Dictionary of Sex, Subtext, and the Sublime. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 215. ISBN 0-312-35427-4. Retrieved 4 December 2007 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ Sagon, Candy (13 April 2005). "Twinkies, 75 Years And Counting". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  16. ^ Petkovich, Anthony (2002). The X Factory: Inside the American Hardcore Film Industry. Headpress. ISBN 978-1-900486-24-8. Retrieved 2 August 2013 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ "Terms and Definitions". OSU Pride Center. Pride Panel. Oregon State University. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
  18. ^ "Twink". The Free Dictionary. Acronyms. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
  19. ^ SHACOCHIS, BOB (16 December 2007). "Sunday Book Review, Here Comes the Bride". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  20. ^ McGinniss, Joe (2007). Never Enough. Simon and Schuster. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-7432-9636-6. Retrieved 10 July 2008. McGinniss never enough twink.
  21. ^ Haramis, Nick (14 May 2018). "Welcome to the Age of the Twink". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  22. ^ Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (15 July 2021). "35 Celebrities Straight People Never Knew Were Twinks". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  23. ^ Anne, Quimberly (14 November 2023). "Timothée Chalamet Shows Off Inner Twink As Troye Sivan in SNL Sketch". Instinct Magazine. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  24. ^ Rude, Mey (9 February 2023). "Just a Reminder: Twinks Have to Be Gay". www.out.com. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  25. ^ Maki, Justin L. (2017). "Gay Subculture Identification: Training Counselors to Work With Gay Men". Ideas and Research You Can Use: VISTAS: 1–12. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2018 – via ACA Knowledge Center.
  26. ^ Grindr. "The New Grindr: Zero Feet Away". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  27. ^ Jacobson, Scott; Levin, Todd; Roede, Jason (2010). Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk. Random House, Inc. pp. 204–205. ISBN 978-0-307-59216-3. ISBN 978-0-307-59216-3.
  28. ^ Mowlabocus, Sharif, Dr. (28 December 2012). Gaydar Culture: Gay Men, Technology, and Embodiment in the Digital Age. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 9781409492627.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ Driver, Susan (2008). Queer Youth Cultures: Performative and Political Practices. SUNY Press. pp. 199–215. ISBN 978-0-7914-7886-8. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  30. ^ a b c d Driver, Susan (2010). "Queering pornography". Queer Youth Cultures. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-7337-5.
  31. ^ Jones, Sarah J.; Ó Ciardha, Caoilte; Elliott, Ian A. (October 2021). "Identifying the Coping Strategies of Nonoffending Pedophilic and Hebephilic Individuals From Their Online Forum Posts". Sexual Abuse. 33 (7): 793–815. doi:10.1177/1079063220965953. ISSN 1079-0632. PMC 8419289. PMID 33084517.

Further reading

  • The dictionary definition of Twink at Wiktionary
  • Media related to Twinks at Wikimedia Commons
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