fbpx
Wikipedia

Twink (gay slang)

February 16, 2024

"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, flamboyancy, and general physical attractiveness.[1][2][3] Twink is used both as a neutral descriptor, which can be compared with bear,[4] and as a pejorative.[1][5]

This model, photographed for a twink-themed series, is a typical embodiment of the twink visual archetype

Etymology edit

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'".[6] Oxford Dictionaries claims twink has origins in the 1970s.[7][8]

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";[9][10][11] by comparison, the young men are described as "short, and blond, and full of creme",[10] with creme being a euphemism for semen.[10][12]

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".[13][14]

Usage edit

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

Popular culture edit

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,[15] 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."[16]

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.[3][17][18]

Essayist Zeb J. Tortorici notes that gay twink porn thrives on the production and performance of "consumable and visually/anally receptive masculinity."[19] A twink is "memorable for his outer packaging", not his "inner depth".[10] Twink can be seen as a popular subgenre in gay porn widely consumed across the globe.[20]

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.[21]

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."[22]

Analysis edit

Susan Driver characterized the word twink as relying on "ageist and racist tropes of youth and white desirability".[20][6] 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",[20] 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.[20]

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.[23]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ . ITV News. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b Williams, Joe (8 May 2015). "Man Arrested for Having 'Twink' Images on His Computer". Pink News. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Sunderland, Mitchell (25 February 2015). "It's Hard Out Here for a Twink". News. Vice. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  6. ^ a b Partridge, Eric (2006). A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge. p. 2025. ISBN 9781134963652. Retrieved 27 August 2015 – via Archive.org.
  7. ^ . Oxford Dictionary. Oxford Press. Archived from the original on 10 January 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary".
  9. ^ Baker, Paul (2002). Polari – The Lost Language of Gay Men. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26180-5. Retrieved 10 July 2008 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Sagon, Candy (13 April 2005). "Twinkies, 75 Years And Counting". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ . OSU Pride Center. Pride Panel. Oregon State University. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
  14. ^ "Twink". The Free Dictionary. Acronyms. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
  15. ^ SHACOCHIS, BOB (16 December 2007). "Sunday Book Review, Here Comes the Bride". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  16. ^ McGinniss, Joe (2007). Never Enough. Simon and Schuster. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-7432-9636-6. Retrieved 10 July 2008. McGinniss never enough twink.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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)
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ a b c d Driver, Susan (2010). "Queering pornography". Queer Youth Cultures. State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-7337-5.
  21. ^ Maki, Justin L. (2017). "Gay Subculture Identification: Training Counselors to Work With Gay Men". Ideas and Research You Can Use: VISTAS: 1–12 – via ACA Knowledge Center.
  22. ^ Grindr. "The New Grindr: Zero Feet Away". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  23. ^ 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 edit

External links edit

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

February 16, 2024
twink, slang, twink, slang, usually, always, late, teens, twenties, whose, traits, include, slim, average, physique, youthful, appearance, little, body, hair, flamboyancy, general, physical, attractiveness, twink, used, both, neutral, descriptor, which, compar. 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 flamboyancy and general physical attractiveness 1 2 3 Twink is used both as a neutral descriptor which can be compared with bear 4 and as a pejorative 1 5 This model photographed for a twink themed series is a typical embodiment of the twink visual archetype Contents 1 Etymology 2 Usage 2 1 Popular culture 3 Analysis 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksEtymology editThe 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 6 Oxford Dictionaries claims twink has origins in the 1970s 7 8 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 9 10 11 by comparison the young men are described as short and blond and full of creme 10 with creme being a euphemism for semen 10 12 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 13 14 Usage edit nbsp Grindr survey asking users what subculture they identify with prior to its update in 2017 using twink as an examplePopular culture edit 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 cliches with a cartoonish first impression 15 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 16 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 3 17 18 Essayist Zeb J Tortorici notes that gay twink porn thrives on the production and performance of consumable and visually anally receptive masculinity 19 A twink is memorable for his outer packaging not his inner depth 10 Twink can be seen as a popular subgenre in gay porn widely consumed across the globe 20 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 21 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 22 Analysis editSusan Driver characterized the word twink as relying on ageist and racist tropes of youth and white desirability 20 6 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 20 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 20 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 23 See also edit nbsp LGBT portalAge disparity in sexual relationships Chicken gay slang Himbo Human male sexuality List of pornographic magazines Twinkie slur References edit 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 The Four Young Murder Victims of Serial Killer Stephen Port ITV News 23 November 2016 Archived from the original on 24 November 2016 a b Williams Joe 8 May 2015 Man Arrested for Having Twink Images on His Computer Pink News Retrieved 29 December 2015 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 Sunderland Mitchell 25 February 2015 It s Hard Out Here for a Twink News Vice Retrieved 29 December 2015 a b Partridge Eric 2006 A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English Routledge p 2025 ISBN 9781134963652 Retrieved 27 August 2015 via Archive org Twinkie Oxford Dictionary Oxford Press Archived from the original on 10 January 2013 Retrieved 19 August 2014 Online Etymology Dictionary Baker Paul 2002 Polari The Lost Language of Gay Men Routledge ISBN 0 415 26180 5 Retrieved 10 July 2008 via Google Books 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 Sagon Candy 13 April 2005 Twinkies 75 Years And Counting The Washington Post Retrieved 11 July 2008 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 Terms and Definitions OSU Pride Center Pride Panel Oregon State University Archived from the original on 18 January 2008 Retrieved 13 March 2008 Twink The Free Dictionary Acronyms Retrieved 13 March 2008 SHACOCHIS BOB 16 December 2007 Sunday Book Review Here Comes the Bride The New York Times Retrieved 19 August 2014 McGinniss Joe 2007 Never Enough Simon and Schuster p 280 ISBN 978 0 7432 9636 6 Retrieved 10 July 2008 McGinniss never enough twink 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 Mowlabocus Sharif Dr 28 December 2012 Gaydar Culture Gay Men Technology and Embodiment in the Digital Age Ashgate Publishing ISBN 9781409492627 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link 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 a b c d Driver Susan 2010 Queering pornography Queer Youth Cultures State University of New York Press ISBN 978 0 7914 7337 5 Maki Justin L 2017 Gay Subculture Identification Training Counselors to Work With Gay Men Ideas and Research You Can Use VISTAS 1 12 via ACA Knowledge Center Grindr The New Grindr Zero Feet Away www prnewswire com Press release Retrieved 23 April 2018 Jones Sarah J o 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 editHart Jack 1998 Gay Sex A Manual for Men Who Love Men Alyson Books ISBN 1 55583 468 X Rodgers Bruce 1972 The Queen s Vernacular A Gay Lexicon Straight Arrow Books ISBN 0 87932 026 5 Stewart William 1995 Cassell s Queer Companion A Dictionary of Lesbian and Gay Life and Culture Cassell ISBN 0 304 34301 3 External links edit nbsp The dictionary definition of Twink at Wiktionary nbsp Media related to Twinks at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Twink gay slang amp oldid 1201430114, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.