The History of the “Twink”

September 3, 2024
ALEXANDER

The History of the "Twink"

No, we aren't talking about the cream-filled tasty morsel that comes in a wrapper...although. The queer community has been using the slang term "twink" to identify a portion of our gays for as long as cavemen have been around. Or have we? We are going to look at the history of the word, and how it has affected the dating scene, hookup apps, and even become part of mainstream culture.

Unless you've been living under a gay rock, twink usually refers to someone 18 to early 20s, slight and thin in build, with little to no body hair, and a bit glittery in personality and physical mannerisms. For modern gays, think Troye Sivan who calls himself a twink and has also been designated as such even by mainstream media. The word has also been used as a foil to a member of the bear community. Though twinks and bears have found a happy ground, and can even date, in the early bear community days, the word was not a compliment.

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No one can really agree or has proof of where the word first sprung up. Some believe it dates back to the late 1800s in England when the term twank was used to describe a male sex worker or "a man willing and ready to become any dominant man's 'partner'." Then in the 1910s, the word twinkletoes was thrown around to make fun of effeminate men. But the actual word first popped up in print during the 1950s. Then there's the widely believed theory that it actually does come from the dessert pasty Twinkie - low in nutrition, sweet, short and blonde and full of creme!

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The word has been debated by the queer community. Is being called a twink an insult? Who doesn't want to be youthful and cute? But some take it to mean that they are dumb and don't contribute to the queer community. It has become a popular tribe on all of the hookup apps, and there is plenty of content from the adult industry aimed at that tribe. It has become just part of the language in Hollywood's depiction of our community and has even been given to non-gay men like Timothée Chalamet.

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Obviously, just like the word "bear," anything can be turned into a slur. But over the years, we have seen more dating and couples with age gaps that will literally put a twink and bear together, so what's the big fuss? Just like the ecosystem, every tribe has its place in the big picture.