2020: Year Of The Twink

There have been many defining moments of 2020 — the pandemic, protests, the election — that nobody saw what was happening beyond the headlines. Twinks have taken over!

A twink is a popular term in the gay community for a man that is skinnier in build, usually hairless and sometimes shorter in stature with a youthful, boyish look and a bit of a feminine flair — think: real-life Ken doll. Twinks were at the helm of the boy band movement through the ’90s and early 2000s. We saw that culture seep into the film industry — the Jack Dawsons, Landon Calhouns, Austin Ames and Troy Boltons of the world become the object of little girls’ (and boys’) affection. Even Justin Bieber was the twink poster child before his twunk transformation.

There was a brief stint in the late 2000s/early 2010s where we grew fond of the Channing Tatums, Dwayne Johnsons, Henry Cavills and Jersey Shore juiceheads that made big muscles so desirable. Rounding the next decade, however, we are once again scaling down (in very 2020 fashion).

If you weren’t watching “You” on Netflix when its first season premiered, you for sure got on board to binge it during quarantine. Penn Badgley was so convincingly and romantically psychotic in this role that it really had me hoping a deranged (and attractive) stalker was watching me watch the show from my bedroom window. Who else could make a murderous stalker so lovable?

Harry Styles has been a big name since his days in One Direction. The British boy band heart throb has gone solo since the group broke up and has been bigger than ever. Styles explores themes of love, friendship, identity and oral sex in his massive hit sophomore album, “Fine Line.” He has drawn attention with his pop/rock/folk sound as well as his gender-fluid aesthetics.

Longtime actor Adam Driver is no stranger to the spotlight either. Driver’s breakout role on the HBO series “Girls” made him a recognizable actor, and his role in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” turned him into a global star. In quarantine he’s become beloved for his lead role in “Marriage Story” opposite actress Scarlett Johansson.

Singer Shawn Mendes has been eye candy for the general public since he started posting covers of songs on Vine. The Canadian pop star has three of four no. one albums and has collaborated with the likes of Camila Cabello, Julia Michaels, Khalid, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.

With a smash hit in the summer of 2019, Lil Nas X topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Old Town Road” maintaining a no. one position for a record-breaking 19 weeks. It’s one of the first songs to go viral on TikTok in real time, showcasing the power that the app has in the music industry. He since has become beloved for his humorous personality online and being unabashedly gay.

Blowing up on SoundCloud and getting signed to a record label as a teenager, Bad Bunny has become one of the most streamed artists even in non-Spanish speaking countries. Earlier this year, he joined Shakira and Jennifer Lopez at the Super Bowl halftime show. Later that month, he released his album “YHLQMDLG,” which peaked at no. 2 on the charts, the highest-charting all-Spanish album in history and became the most-streamed album of the year globally. Additionally, he became the first digital Playboy cover star and the first male cover star since Hugh Hefner himself. If you don’t think his exhibitionist quarantine selfies were the hottest thing on the internet: you. are. LYING.

And on to the king twink himself … Timothée Chalamet. Chalamet is an acting prodigy from the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York with bone structure for days. He has achieved a cult following from his coming-of-age movies “Lady Bird,” “Call Me By Your Name,” and “Little Women.” His acting talent, eclectic fashion sense, goofy personality and boyish good looks have not only made him an ‘It Boy,’ but the face of the next generation of actors and twinks everywhere.