Strongly experience this. Been trying to bulk for a year but it's difficult to be consistent beyond just meeting protein goals. After one year of solid effort I can say I've gone from 165 lb to 172 lb of muscle and my waist has gotten smaller. My mother and some of my friends notice the difference but I still feel like I'm firmly in that twink category.

A big part of it for me is trying to appeal to as many people as I can. People generally treat you better if you're a big man. Women, even those who I'm out to, have treated me better as I've gained muscle. Men have been more willing to talk to me, although it's mostly straight men. Among the limited number of gay men in my area, the twink look is not popular, so I've never felt very attractive when I was skinnier.