It’s been nearly two years since the internet popularized the term “twink death” and shared all its favorite examples of men getting too old to be part of the gay tribe, which is reserved for young, hairless, skinny (and usually femme) queer men.
Though twink death has largely referred to aging out of the category, it can also mean simply becoming a different body type by, say, working out and becoming more muscular — a transformation that influencer Noah Miller pointed out is becoming more and more common in a viral TikTok.
“There is a cultural reckoning unfolding before us,” Miller said in the video, which has garnered 2.9 million views. “We as a society are on the verge of a global twink death. With the way that gym culture is moving, these carnivore diet people, everybody squawking about protein and creatine — it’s reaching even the furthest members of my community, the furthest reaches of the gay world. The skinniest and most frail of gay men are trying to put on weight in the gym. Like, fast forward 10 years, there’s gonna be none of us left.”
“One day, I’m gonna be walking on the street with my kids, and a skinny gay is gonna pass by, and my son is gonna be like, ‘Dad, what’s that? What is that?’” he imagined. “And I’m gonna say, ‘We used to have a word for it.’”
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Miller also pointed out that people who do fit the twink label seem to be rejecting it: “We got gay boys that are six feet tall, maybe 100 pounds, saying, ‘I need to beat the twink allegations,’” he said. “Allegations? Baby, you were tried, found guilty, and sentenced! Allegations!?”
Folks in Miller’s comments agreed with his assessment, pointing to other influencers like Tyler Oakley, Ricky Dillon, and Matt Cano as famous twinks who have gotten too muscular for the moniker — no longer twinks, but twas-es, if you will. “everyday I pray for Troye Sivan to never change,” one commenter wrote.
That’s not to say all bodies aren’t beautiful, or that people aren’t entitled to pursue whatever changes to their bodies they desire. But folks in Miller’s comments pointed out that when body types become trends — eg, the current bodybuilding craze for queer men or America entering its so-called Ozempic Era — it can be a sign of culture swinging to the right.
“This happening the same time as the skinny mini ozempic trend for girls is crazy,” one user wrote in Miller’s comments.
“conservatism on the rise oh we are in the worst time,” another commenter echoed. Can the queer community survive without twinks? We may be dangerously close to finding out. Thoughts and prayers, people.
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