Dating

This guy on Grindr is looking for friends – but only if you’re a twink. Yes, really

Oct 31 2019
Written by Josh Milton

A Grindr guy has gone viral for being exclusively friends with twinks “like me”. Why tho. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

“We have become our own worst enemy,” proclaimed a Twitter user, who encountered a Grindr guy who refused to be his friend because he’s not a twink.

Yeah.

Twitter has become collectively bemused after a user posted screenshots of a Grindr exchange with someone who has rather fixed friendship standards.

From “hiya” to “that’s the worst thing I’ve ever read” in 24 minutes.

The user pinged a pithy “Hiya” to the man on the dating app.

“How’s it going?”

But the guy, who was an anonymous profile with the display name “Friends” bluntly and immediately hit back, “Sorry, not my type.”

The Twitter user clarified that he’s scoping the app for pals anyway, “hence the message” to a profile explicitly saying they’re looking for friends.

https://twitter.com/JDEdge/status/1189586639775027202

“But your [sic] not my type,” the man clarified, “I only like twinks.”

For those not quite up-to-date in the world of Grindr’s tribe-typing system, a ‘twink’ is a typically hyper-sexualised, white/caucasian, extremely slender, hairless young guy.

Known for being an extremely narrow definition of a particular look, the stereotype leaves many people of colour, bigger guys and anyone over 25 out of the mix.

Perplexed at having such a strict quota for potential friends, the user interrogated the guy further. “You’re only willing to be friends with twinks?”

Troye Sivan is, by certain standards, the apex of Twink-hood and potentially this Grindr guy’s dream ‘friend’. (Kevin Mazur/Fox/Getty Images for FOX)

“Your ‘type’ extends to potential friends we well?”

The guy responded:”I only want to be friends with twinks because I only like to hang out with people like me who I will still have things in common with.

“I’m sorry your [sic] struggling with that.”

Sigh.

“Wow,” the user said, “That’s the worst f***ing thing I’ve ever read.

“Good luck in your search for friends.”

‘We only have ourselves to blame for our unhappiness’: Twitter unimpressed by Grindr man’s twink wrangling.

Screen-grabbing and dropping them onto Twitter, many users joined in the collective struggling to understand this man’s surreally specific pre-requisite for being his friend.

The user added: “Imagine only wanting friends who look like you, talk like you, act like you and think like you? Gross.”

“The only thing they’d have in common is… *checks notes*… being a twink?” Iain said.

“I imagine the conversations would be riveting.”

Many users shared their own stories of encountering similar incidents of discrimination they faced simply for, well, existing.

https://twitter.com/11DanTheMan11/status/1189686099611979789

I can't even begin to tell you the amount of times I got a ""Fuck off fatty" in response to me literally only saying hello. Grindr culture is gross. https://t.co/fMZV2OfWfD

— Fagetti Spaghetti (@sanitarypipe) October 31, 2019

https://twitter.com/antidevryguy/status/1189915138922553344

“Our ‘community’ has always been like this,” wrote Ryan, “We only have ourselves to blame for our unhappiness.”

Twitter users were, overall, nonplussed at why this man’s preferences in the bedroom appeared to dictate his social life.

“I thought twink was mainly a physical label?” posited Anthony, “or do they all have the same interests and personalities too?”

But as one user said, maybe twinks do have a universal personality one usually looks for in their friends.

“Twinks are actually evil”.