Is "Twink"an offensive word?

Posted: 11/14/12 at 10:22am

In "I can't believe how sensitive we all are" News this Bravo exec called One Direction (Or One Direction fans, I guess) "Twinks" and is apologizing. Give 'em 20 years they will be BEGGING someone to call the twinks.
Or should I say Tw!nks?

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 10:25am

Andy Cohen is an offensive word.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 10:36am

Twink means - or meant - young frivolous airhead. So perhaps to many in this youth-obsessed culture (both the dominant and the sub) it would be considered a great compliment.

[Jon]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 10:41am

It's the gay male equivalent of "bimbo".

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 10:42am

I've always equated the word twink to a body type. But that's just me.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 10:48am

Jon,
That word would be 'himbo'...

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 10:59am

I always think of Twinks Tvedt of the Mary Tyler Moore show:

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 11:03am

I agree with Somms that it refers to a the physical. There's such a thing as a smart twink.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 11:12am

This reminds me of the episode of Friends when Monica's dad said that Richard had a "twink in the city", meaning a younger, flighty, floozy lady (Monica).

Updated On: 11/14/12 at 11:12 AM

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 11:17am

If people want to use these labels to identify themselves, well, it makes me a little sad, but that's their prerogative. Myself, I reject the subculture categorizations -- or as many as I can, comfortably -- and definitely don't employ the terminology... but I also don't get aggressive with people who do, unless they're using them specifically to be derogatory, in which case normal rules of etiquette apply.

And count me in as one who understands the term as a description of body type. The larger context of how superficial/airhead-y/bimbo-y seems to be often implied, but I don't think it's intrinsic. That it refers to someone young, thin, generally hairless, and with "pretty" features, is.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 11:38am

I have never heard of anyone thinking it is an offensive term. You can use it dismissively, I suppose.

Posted: 11/14/12 at 12:02pm

I've often heard it used dismissively to describe a potential trick that turned you down. "Like I wanted that little twink anyway."

[Playbilly]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 12:10pm

Twink = Justin Bieber

Twank = Leonardo DiCaprio

Twunk = Robby Benson

[Kad]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 12:12pm

I thought Bieber was a lesbian.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 12:16pm

Fem, lipstick, butch or dyke?

Updated On: 11/14/12 at 12:16 PM

Posted: 11/14/12 at 12:42pm

So I've been thinking- how many classifications of gay men are there?

Twink- young, pretty boy
Bear- older, fatter hairy
Otter- Thin and hairy
Cub- young and hairy

How many more are there? I'm thinking it's like the "handkerchief code" and there are a million of them that no one knows.

Updated On: 11/14/12 at 12:42 PM

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 12:43pm

My coworkers call me Yogi.

I don't mind the subculture labels but the bear community really pisses me off. Its so clicky and judgmental.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 12:46pm

Polar Bear: Older hairier guys who are going gray.
Panda Bear: Asian Bears
Wolf: An in shape bear with great hair?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 1:03pm

Mama Bear: Older, large, hairy guy who collects antiques

Papa Bear: Older, large, hairy guy who watches football

Baby Bear: Their "thruple." (For now.)

Muscle Bear: Aging twink who now uses steroids

Grizzly Bear: Really ugly bear who needs to take a shower.

Glamour Bear: Young otter or cub with fussy facial hair patterns who wears starched plaid shirts and attends openings of art installations and postmodern burlesque

Seal: Otter who got fat.

Walrus: Older Bear or Seal with fussy facial hair (see: Glamour Bear)

Gorillas in the Mist: Three or more bears in a steamroom.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 1:06pm

And it's always fun to play 'Who's the Diane Fosse?' in those situations!

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 1:11pm

See signature:

[Playbilly]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 1:16pm

Yogi Bear = Bear who is into pilates

Posted: 11/14/12 at 1:30pm

I used to love the whole "what kind of queen are you?" phenomenon- which seems to have died out along with camp and the rest.

Cha-cha queen- likes Latin men
Un-weaned queen- likes nice pecs
Rice queen- likes Asian men
Tea Room queen- likes sex in bathrooms
Chicken queen- likes 'em young

I seem to recall John Waters cataloging a hundred ofthem in one of his essays.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 1:45pm

Oh, I like "Yogi Bear"!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/14/12 at 1:51pm

I thought the "what kind of queen are you" stuff died out when it was decided (by some committee, I think?) that we no longer wanted to be defined solely how we acted sexually.