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) guys.
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.”