FROM TWINK TO DADDY: AGEISM AND GENERATIONAL HIERARCHIES IN GAY SUBCULTURES

Abstract

This article analyzes ageism within gay subcultures, focusing on the categories twink and daddy to discuss how age functions as a marker of visibility, exclusion, and power. The qualitative research is based on a bibliographical review and discourse analysis of dating apps and LGBTQIA+ media, revealing how youth is transformed into erotic capital and how maturity is simultaneously fetishized and marginalized. The findings indicate that ageism cannot be understood as a matter of personal preference, but rather as a cultural device that regulates social practices, affects self-esteem, and reinforces internal inequalities within the LGBTQIA+ community. At the same time, forms of resistance emerge, highlighting intergenerational trajectories and re-signifying aging as political strength. It is concluded that addressing ageism requires deconstructing normative standards of desire and expanding spaces that recognize generational plurality.