slurred words

The “is twink a slur?” debate is back with a venegeance—and this time Adele’s involved

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Image Credits: Getty Images

If you thought everyone was over the “twink” discourse, twink think again.

This week, a robust new round of the “Is twink a slur?” debate has popped up on The App Formerly Known As Twitter, and this time none other than Adele has—improbably, inadvertently—found herself in the middle of it.

So what, pray tell, does the “Go Easy On Me” diva have to do with the skinny, smooth, boyish subcategory of gays known as the twink? Let’s get into it…

The singer’s “Weekends With Adele” residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has had its fair share of meme-able moments since it began last fall, but a fan interaction from a recent show has taken on a life of its own on the internet.

Throughout the August 26 concert, an enthusiastic superfan—who goes by @juanp_lastra on TikTok— was filming themself as they danced, sang, and sobbed along with Adele, much to the chagrin of their neighboring concertgoers. In their self-recorded video, at least one bothered fellow attendee and a security guard can be seen asking them to calm down.

@juanp_lastra Adele thank you so much for this breathtaking night and for standing up for me, so that I could live your concert as it should be. I’m also sorry that I didnt respond back to anyrhing you asked me. you started talking to me and I literally stopped breathing. I had been planning to come to this concert for over a year and I finally had the opportunity to come see most beautiful glorious woman this earth has gotten. I still can not wrap my head around the fact that I was in the same room as ADELE, sang every song with her, and she even stopped the show to defend me. I did not expected everyone in my section to be mad at me for having the time of my life and wanting to stand up and sing with her but I honestly did not care at all about what anyone was saying to me I just was in awe with the master piece I was watching with my own eyes. I did not have time for them haters. @Adele Access #adele #weekendswithadele #lasvegas #ceasarspalace ♬ original sound – juanp_lastra

But, more disruptive than the overeager fan were the folks telling the poor kid to calm down—at least from Adele’s point-of-view. So much so that the singer stopped in the middle of performing “Water Under The Bridge” to defend him:

“What are you doing? Why are you bothering him? Could you leave him alone, please?” she’s heard asking the security team. “They won’t bother you again, my darling.”

Related:

10 times we absolutely fell in love with Adele

We wanted to take a moment to shift the spotlight away from her recent drama and celebrate some of her most loveable moments.

@juanp_lastra’s personal video of the experience has racked up a couple million views on TikTok, while an edit from fan account @adeleslittleloveee has gone even more viral, garnering attention from various digital media outlets.

Among the sites to cover the moment was New York Magazine‘s pop-culture hub, Vulture, with a short article headlined “Will the Real Adele Fans Please Stand Up?” No, there’s nothing objectionable or out-of-the-ordinary with the piece itself—but the tweet promoting it, on the other hand, has caused quite a fuss:

The inclusion of the word “twink” seems to have gotten people up in arms: Is it okay that they just went ahead and labeled @juanp_lastra as such? And are we cool with a venerable, Verified media institution like New York Magazine even using such a word?

Here are just a few of the shocked and confused reactions:

As we’ve previously broken down on this very site, twink is decidedly not a slur. Though some out there may view it as personally derogatory, it really just depends on context and who’s using it.

Of course, the “who” in this situation is more like a “what”—New York Magazine by way of Vulture—as we can’t make any assumptions about the author’s article, or the social media manager who may have opted to use “twink” in the tweet.

Related:

Are we headed for a twink takeover?

Are twinks about to go mainstream? Nick Haramis certainly thinks so!

But, come on, it’s clear they’re not talking down to or deriding anyone here. Were there other words they could’ve used instead? Maybe so! Does saying Adele defended a twink conjure up a vivid and ultimately accurate image of what went down that night at Caesars Palace? It sure does!

While some have raised an eyebrow at the tweet, just as many have rolled their eyes at yet another day on the internet where we’re all in-fighting about who can and can’t say “twink.” Here are just a few more of the funniest and most notable reactions:

Our final thought? Let’s just take a note from Adele and call it “Water Under The Bridge.”

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