The Sissy and The Twink

The media, until very recently, often relied on harmful stereotypes and dilution of people to mere caricatures in order to push a narrative or create comic relief. From Race to sexual minorities, the Media has always profited from the oppression and misrepresentation of different subaltern groups. The Sissy, or the overly effeminate and weak portrayal of a Gay man, has instilled detrimental explicit homophobia into the minds of the general public – the same homophobia that has yet to be apologized for and is often forgotten. 

The Sissy trope has forever engrained the notion of effeminate Gay men being comical and laughable. In a world that idolizes and applauds masculinity, for a gay man to "lose" this masculinity means he has lost the privilege of being taken seriously. Masculinity grants access to all the benefits of a patriarchal society, a privilege not to be given up or deviated from (or so they say). Using a man who isn't typically masculine as the punchline in comedy creates the notion that feminine gay men are inferior. Before the contemporary, when LGBTQ+ portrayals in media were mere subliminal stereotypes, for the Gay community, the "representation" was either disliked or approved with a smile. Positive representation in media fights previous harmful stereotypes associated with the group in question and can also provide a figure to relate to and connect with. Seeing others similar to you, whether that be in film, news, etc, reinforces your worthiness and validity of yourself. However, when this representation is inherently harmful (as is the Sissy stereotype), public biases are formed from this representation and thus create unfair judgments of those who are being misrepresented.  

In 'Celluloid Closet,' it's pointed out that when a woman cross-dresses as a man, people admire her beauty and allure despite her portrayal of a hyper-masculine idea of a man. Conversely, when a man dresses as a woman, he is laughed at and implicitly assumed to be gay and less-than (10:58). The Sissy has since evolved into many things from its original portrayal. Its new name is "The Twink". The Twink has adopted almost all of the attributes of the Sissy in a more contemporary and less-harmful depiction. Being called a Twink holds many stereotypes, including being overly vain, effeminate, and comedic. On popular social media apps, commenting "Twink" under someone's post carries a negative connotation but in a light-hearted comedic way. The repercussions of the "Twink" are far less dangerous than those of the Sissy, but still exist. From personal expression alone, whether through fashion, makeup, mannerisms, and even body size, one can be labeled a Twink in one glance (myself included). The fashion-obsessed, hyper-femme, humorous Twink is a prevalent stereotype that permeates today's society and media. However, despite the similarities between Twink and Sissy, the two remain unequal. While the Twink is a subcategory of Gay men created to differentiate us from each other, the Sissy served only as entertainment within media, beginning the general perception of Gay and effeminate men as a whole. 

As a society, we continue to be obsessed with labels while simultaneously trying to destroy them. This contradictory fixation allows a community to be found while dividing us further apart. Everyone loves to belong to a label until it surfaces negative impacts. As a society, we need to progress while keeping in mind what consequences labels can create and using the history of harmful depictions to our disposal to avoid repeating our past.