Looksmaxxing has become one of the most controversial trends across social media platforms after pushing young men toward harsh practices aimed at achieving the “ideal” face and body.
The movement is driven by influencers using their own vocabulary, including terms like ascending for improving appearance and mogging for outclassing others physically. Some promote hormones, steroids, and risky methods to enhance jawlines, build muscle, or slim the face.
The most alarming practice is known as bone smashing, where young men strike their faces with hammers based on the scientifically unfounded belief that bones will heal back stronger and sharper.
Detail
Looksmaxxing traces its roots back to incel-linked forums over the past decade before spreading to TikTok and Instagram, where it reached wider audiences of teenagers and young men searching for acceptance or attractiveness.
The phenomenon is generally divided into two main categories:
- Soft Looksmaxxing: skincare, dieting, fitness, and techniques such as tongue posture exercises aimed at improving jawlines.
- Hard Looksmaxxing: cosmetic surgery, fillers, hair transplants, and the use of unapproved substances for muscle growth.
- More extreme practices have also emerged, including starvemaxxing, which promotes starvation to reduce facial fat, alongside bone smashing videos that accumulated hundreds of millions of views on TikTok before the platform restricted related searches.
- Observers argue the trend is not only about obsession with appearance, but also about a digital culture pushing young men to measure their value through looks and sexual success amid growing social isolation and the decline of traditional communities.
- One prominent figure tied to the movement is influencer Clavicular, who gained attention for promoting steroids, facial hammering, and radical appearance-enhancement methods before YouTube shut down his channels over repeated violations.
What’s Next?
Digital platforms are increasingly monitoring Looksmaxxing-related content as concerns grow over its psychological and physical effects on teenagers.
Debate is also expected to intensify over the role of social media algorithms in shaping modern masculinity and identity crises.
