While a number of different types of sexual fields that can be found in the gay community have been discussed in the academic literature as well as the popular press, there has been less attention paid to the ways that erotic words are socially organized ( Martin and George 2006). Specifically for gay men, a slim hairless body may provide men who possess those traits with sexual currency at a “Twink bar,” but those same traits would have less currency at a “Leather bar,” where burlier bodies are considered more desirable.
According to Adam Isaiah Green (2008: 25), “modern urban life is increasingly characterized by specialized erotic worlds designed for sexual partnership and sexual sociality.” These erotic worlds, marked by high levels of interpersonal interactions between various actors, where individuals come to seek sexual and social partners, can be considered a “sexual field.” As Green (2011) argues, there are many diverse sexual fields where different constellation of traits comes to be seen as more desirable than other traits.
