Historically, music’s leading men have been less burdened by stereotypes of masculinity. There are several modern variations: Euro twinks (the boys of BelAmi, a Slovak pornography studio named after the novel by Guy de Maupassant), twunks (a portmanteau with hunk, embodied by modern-day Zac Efron) and femme twinks (like the fabulous American figure skater Adam Rippon). By gay male standards, he’s the ultimate twink.Īlthough the origin of the term has been disputed - some trace its history to “twank,” 1920s British slang for a client of gay male prostitutes, while others insist it’s a vulgar riff on the cream-filled Hostess snack - twinks are young, attractive, hairless, slim men. Chalamet, 22, is five inches shorter, naturally smooth, with a pronounced clavicle and a concave torso. Hammer, 31, is 6-foot-5, with broad shoulders and body hair. This is memorable not because we’re watching two straight actors perform a pas de deux of muted gay desire, but rather because of their difference in size. Sensing Elio’s nervousness, Oliver begins to massage his shoulder. (No, not that one.) It happens near the beginning of Luca Guadagnino’s gay odyssey, when Armie Hammer’s character, Oliver, sweaty from volleyball, pauses to steal a drink from Elio, played by Timothée Chalamet. There’s a scene in “Call Me by Your Name” that I can’t get out of my head.
