It’s almost ironic in a sense that Labelling In The Queer Community happens within. This is seemingly common when it comes to dating sites and the classification of gay porn DVD’s. Without these labels and classifications you might not be able to quickly find the type of porn that you like to watch or the person you wish to meet. Especially when it comes to mature dating pros and cons.
It’s not always simple though, and as mentioned some people are staunchly against the labelling of gay men. They can find it destructive when you don’t quite fit in. Nevertheless, Gay Men will very often use terms that describe, identify and label other men within the community.
Labelling In The Queer Community
Labels are not necessarily used exclusively by, and for, the gay community, but are rather a gay jargon of sorts that can be used by anyone that associates themselves with the community. If you’ve been active in social circles, been to clubs and other events then there’s little doubt that you’ve heard of such terms such as Jocks, an Otter, bears, cubs, wolves and so on. But there’s a lot of people out there who struggle with the words meanings and aren’t necessarily sure of what they mean.
Have you been to the club, or a social event, surrounded by your friends . They’ve been talking about a gorgeous otter over the room, and you’re looking for a cute little pet? Or maybe you’ve been on a dating website and they’ve provided you with a list of types. You stare at that list, and send a photo of yourself to your friends asking if you’re a wolf.
Fear not!!
This list below has been provided with some very high tech research systems that utilise data entry into a military grade statistical analysis software, known as Google. There was extensive, and by extensive we mean extensive, research that has been done on gay body types both online and in person. Nothing was left to chance in the compilation of this list.
The process has been assisted by the provision of popular celebrity film and television photos which can be used as a reference to fill in your knowledge. Please note, that this is not an exhaustive list, and for some reason, not everyone agrees to the definitions that have been provided here. There’s ongoing friction within the LGBTQ community as to what an otter is in comparison to a bear, because you know, there’s nothing more important than the classification of other men – see Marriage Equality. This list is simply offered to provide some comedic clarity.
The Otter
Body Build – Thin to Athletic
Hair – Lots
The otters are generally considered to be a part of the bear community due to the amount of hair that they have. However they are smaller in size than either bears or cubs. In the queer scene, the otter is considered to be a thin gay make that is hairy. He may, or may not use a trimmer to shorten or remove that hair, and he may or may not have a beard. Otters have much thinner/smaller frames in comparison to the cub or older bear. Otters look pretty much like an otter would – thin and hairy. Many people are surprised by this who think that generally regard otters to be smooth.
Otters can be athletic, but are not overly muscular. Any male can be considered an otter regardless of their age. Otters should not be considered to be twinks, as twinks are still considered to be much thinner than otter’s who have a little meat on their bones. If you’re into star signs and things like that, otters are generally considered to be sensitive, good friends and attentive to another’s needs. Though, you can always throw that out into the water if you like.
Celebrity Otters: Scott Caan, Charlie Cox, Daniel Radcliffe Liam Hemsworth, Brody Jenner, Nick Jonas (Side note: We’ve put him here, as opposed to being in jocks, because he’s acknowledged in interviews that he loves his chest hair.
Daniel Radcliffe is also firmly in the otter camp. He is best known for appearing in Harry Potter, but has since grown up very fast. There was once a period of time when he might have been considered a twink, but then he grew up and the moment has passed. His body simply exudes Otter.
The Wolf
Build – Lean, muscular
Hair – Semi Hairy, will often have facial hair
Wolves are semi hairy, lean attractive beasts that are considered to be sexually aggressive. They’re often thought to be of the larger bear community, or residing on the bear spectrum and they can be of any age. There is some discontentment with regards to the wolf category as some people feel that the wolf is simply a slimmer version of the bear.
There can be young wolves, and there can also be silver/grey wolves which is a term used to describe an older wolf with greying facial hair and body hair. When it comes to different cultural groups and societies, wolves have always been a variety of different symbols.
American Native Indians saw the wolf as representative of freedom, strength, stamina and leadership. The Japanese traditionally view wolves as untamed creatures, an embodiment of the Shinto gods themselves in a world where nature had not yet been tamed by civilisation.
Celebrity Wolves: Joe Manganiello, Chris Pine, Alex O’loughlin, Hugh Jackman.
Joe Manganiello is the celebrity example of a slightly younger wolf. He embodies the leanness, the hair and the attractiveness. Curiously, Manganiello also played the part of the wolf in the HBO series, True Blood.
If you’re looking for an example of an older wolf – look no further than Hugh Jackman. The sexually charged hottie that originates from x-men and The Wolverine.
The Bear
Build: Bears are big, usually heavy or muscular
Hair: Lots of hair
Bears pride themselves on their masculinity, to the point where some social circles will exclude, or make unwelcome, effeminate bears. Despite this, many bears will describe themselves as friendly, playful and absolutely harmless. Some bears will consider themselves to be a part of the leather community, whilst others will not.
It’s a hard toss to tell which is a sub-culture, or if they’re just a blending of cultures. A protruding belly is a very common characteristic of the bear as they are generally considered to be heavy set. There are a few types of bears out there on the gay market and they include
Muscle Bears – Where the size comes from muscle and not fat
Polar Bears – Aging bears with gray/white body/facial hair
Sugar Bears – Effeminate acting bears
Celebrity Bear: John Travolta
John Travolta is a fairly decent example of a bear. Though, it should be noted that at one stage, Travolta was thought to be considered a gym bunny or even a wolf, but as he has aged, he’s developed key bear body traits (most notably, a belly).
Other celebrity bear body types include the now-deceased James Gandolfini, AKA Tony Soprano, and actor and comedian Robin Williams (also deceased).
The Cub
Build: A younger male that’s not quite the size of a bear
Hair: Hairy
The term, cub, is generally used to describe a younger, or younger looking male, that has a slightly heavier body type but isn’t quite considered a bear. They are almost always hairy, and they do not necessarily require a beard to be within this category. Body hair and the idea of huskiness are the dominant features for the gay descriptor of Cub. Cubs will generally have the same sub-categories as bears, though you cannot be a polar cub as that is a direct contradiction.
Celebrity Cub: Jack Black
Jack Black could be considered to be a good example of a cub, as he is young, fairly hairy and fits the body build. Cubs can be much younger than black though and it’s bordering as to which camp he’s in.
The Chub
Build: Overweight
Hair: Maybe
The Chub is a distinct and separate category to bears, and bears are often confused with chubs. Chubby sex is very popular in heterosexual society, and there is also a dedicated following in queer society with some people being exclusively attracted to chubby men.
There are some bears that will reject very large or obese chubs by not even considering them to be a part of their own sub group. The chub also has a dedicated romantic follower called the chubby chaser. These guys are actively interested in larger men and can be of any shape, size and body type.
Chub Celebrity: John Goodman
John Goodman, Roseanne, is a very good example of a chub. He’s been in numerous films and TV shows across his lifetime, though it should be noted that he has recently undergone considerable weight loss.
The Pup
Build: Similar to a twink but less experienced.
Hair: Smoothish
Pups have a similar Body-type similar to twink, but are relatively new to gay world. These pups should not be confused with their BDSM Counterparts and the fetish pup, which is a completely different sort of gay pup. What we’re talking about early 20’s and less here, and a pup is known for his complete lack of experience in gay world.
They’re naive, energetic and cute. Pups are considered to be a twink sub-type and although pups share some similar traits to cubs. They are not involved with the gay community at all. In all likelihood wouldn’t even know about the existence of the bear community.
Celebrity Pup: Joe Jonas
Early 20-something Joe Jonas is a good example of a pup body type.
Taylor Lautner (Twilight series), who coincidentally played the active role of a wolf and Sterling Beaumon (Astro Boy) are other pup body type examples.
The Bull
Build: Body-Builders
Hair: Maybe
In the gay community sub section, bulls are body builders that consist of solid muscle and spend the majority of their time working out, and training. They should not be considered a part of the bear category, as some will identify within a separate community.
Dwayne the Rock Johnson would be considered a very good representation of the Bull Community. He has been a professional wrestler, with the WWF and starred in several movies. An alternative to Johnson would be the 30 something year old Australian Actor Chris Hemsworth, AKA Thor.
The Twink And The Twunk
Build: Slender
Hair: Smooth
Twinks are young, recently out and slim boys that are most notably still in their teens or very early twenties. One of the main features of a twink is the complete absence of body and facial hair (with the exception of genitals). Twinks are often considered to be the naive part of the queer community in the sense that a twink generally embodies the negative stereotypes of the queer community. Effeminate, loud, obnoxious and overly gay, many people view twinks as a very negative part of the queer community.
Twunks are very similar to a twink, but are considered to be the more masculine sub set. Twinks will also be muscular though still retaining both feminine (smooth and thin) characteristics on top of their muscular characteristics.
Celebrity Twink or Twunk: Justin Bieber
Throughout his career thus far, Justin Bieber has at times displayed both a twink and a twunk body type, all depending on which photograph that you’re looking at of him and when that photo was taken.
The Gym Bunny
Build: Sculpted
Hair: Maybe
Gym Bunnies are usually under 50. However they can be applied to anyone, any age. Gym bunnies will spend an obsessive amount of time at the gym and continually working out their physique. As a result of this continual working out, their main traits are that they sculpted and muscular. Bunnies are very closely related to jocks, except the bunnies body does not come from sports. Gym bunnies specifically create a body for others to look at and to notice. Gym bunnies will often be found at the beach and are generally considered to be handsome.
Celebrity Gym Bunny: Shemar Moore
Shemar Moore was in Young and The Restless and now showcases in Criminal Minds. He is an excellent example of the Gym Bunny body as he embodies all the key features,
The Jock
Build: Athletic
Hair: Maybe
The jock gets their physique from playing and engaging with sports. Jocks have long been considered to be some of the most attractive parts of the gay community, as they are muscular males with exceptionally low body fat. There is no age limit to be considered a jock, but they’re generally thought of as being younger due to their athletic abilities, prowess in sports and being active.
Years ago, the term “jock” used to have a negative connotation in the straight world. However for gays, being called a jock is a compliment.
Celebrity Jock: David Beckham
The queer community has always struggled with the use of descriptive terms for body types and the characteristics of those body types. There will be some people that feel that they don’t fit into any of the above categories and that’s perfectly okay. You might consider yourself to be of the average category which is an all-encompassing category.
You might notice that there’s no category for Daddies. Daddies are age specific, and not body type specific and as such all of the above mentioned body types can have ‘daddies’ in them. If you’re interested in exploring the world of gay bodies a little more – then you might want to consider looking at The Adonis Factor. An in-depth look into the world of queer bodies.
