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Looksmaxxing is a 21st-century Internet neologism referring to the process of maximizing one's own physical attractiveness. The term originated on male incel (meaning: "involuntarily celibate")^[1] message boards in the 2010s.^[2][3][4] Previously, the phrase's usage had been limited to obscure internet forums, but in the 2020s became popularized on TikTok by men.^[3] Currently, the term refers to a specified view of male beauty, and is not frequently a term used by women in a non-satirical context.^[3] Looksmaxxing is most commonly associated with the "black pill" ideology,^[5] which dictates that female sexual selection is primarily based on external superficial qualities, primarily attractiveness in looks.^[6]

Online looksmaxxing communities can be judgemental and sometimes harmful, through rating individual's looksmaxxing attempts without much concern or care for their overall well-being. They range from encouraging superficial practices to improve appearance to also promoting more extreme interventions, such as jaw surgery.^[7] According to a 2024 BBC report, looksmaxxing has been criticized for contributing to body dysmorphia.^[3] These communities can also even lead to suicidal ideations, through it turning into a competition between one's peer, or simply by comparing oneself to ideals that they see online, such as the prominent online looksmaxxing influencer known as Clavicular, who popularized it for a larger audience on social media.^[8]

Those opposed to these practices voice concern over their potential to be popularized in online spaces to promote hegemonic masculinity.^[9]

Softmaxxing, a form of looksmaxxing, is a practice in which people perform fairly common body care routines in an effort to improve physical appearance, such as clearing up facial acne, going to the gym, getting a new haircut, or moisturizing.^[10][11]

Additional practices have been associated with softmaxxing, with a popular example being the act of "mewing", which involves suctioning one's tongue to the roof of the mouth with the goal of changing tongue and jaw posture. Certain looksmaxxers also mew in an attempt to gain a "square jawline".^[8] These methods are the most popular ones shared around TikTok. These methods were previously popularized with magazines such as GQ, Esquire, and Men's Health sharing around skincare and hairstyle advice.^[12]

Some people who perform looksmaxxing have also performed more extreme methods. This has been coined as "hardmaxxing", and those who practice them refer to themselves as "hardmaxxers". Practices associated with hardmaxxing include getting implants or limb-lengthening surgeries, intentionally starving oneself ("starvemaxxing"), abusing anabolic steroids ("roidmaxxing"), using moisturizers to attempt to appear more white ("whitemaxxing"), and withholding sexual climax in an effort to boost testosterone ("edging").^[8][12] An additional method, known as bonesmashing, refers to the act of hitting one's face against objects such as a hammer in order to create a "chiselled look". While this practice is considered an inside joke and few have actually done it, it has been labelled misinformation.^[13][14][15]

Some that partake in looksmaxxing also look for others to rate their appearance, with some engaging in anonymous message boards associated with incel subculture. This rating, together with one's perceived status and wealth has been considered to be one's "sexual market value" (also known as SMV).^[8][13] Those who look to determine someone's attractiveness usually check for a variety of facial features. One of the features checked for in men is "hunter eyes", which refers to a neutral/positive canthal tilt, little to no upper eyelid exposure and low-set eyebrows, resembling the eye area of a predatorial animal. Additional features checked for include hollow cheeks, a defined jawline and "pursed lips".^[12][13] In order to achieve these features, some perform acts such as the aforementioned "mewing", rubbing against the orbital area, or even getting surgery.^[13][14][7]

Those who receive a low rating are sometimes harassed for their appearance afterwards, with some forms of harassment including suicide encouragement (known in some legal jurisdictions as "Incitement to Suicide").^[8] Additional terms have been coined by these communities in an effort to "dominate others". These phrases include "mogging", which refers to asserting dominance over another person based on their appearance, and being "Y-pilled", which refers to one viewing themselves as more masculine than the other and is a spin on the phrase "redpilled".^[12][14] Although the term "mogging" in the context of looksmaxxing is used to rate oneself's physical appearance as being higher than another's, this term can be used in harmful ways. Young, impressionable, children on social media using it to describe their appearance in relation to their friend's could be taken the wrong way and lead to insecurities down the road for a generation of children. The term also comes from "AMOG" which is a new acronym for "alpha male of the group."^[16] These underlying reinforcements of toxic masculinity culture regress the progress that has been made towards accepting many forms of gender expression.

The practice originated on incel message boards in the 2010s that heavily attributed romantic success to the perceived genetic advantages held by tall and muscular men.^[17][4] Looksmaxxing later spread beyond its original manosphere roots, entering mainstream culture and becoming a TikTok trend in 2022–2023.^[4][8][12] In contrast to "hardmaxxing" discussions on message boards, TikTok users originally generally promoted "softmaxxing" techniques, most using self-deprecating humor.^[17] By 2025, Kick live streamer Clavicular had become closely associated with looksmaxxing online.^[18][19][20]

Looksmaxxing has been connected to incel sub-culture since its origins within it.^[8][12][13] Writing for The Conversation, senior lecturer and researcher Jamilla Rosdahl of the Australian College of Applied Psychology considered the practice to convert young men into incels as a result of TikTok algorithms.^[8] On the popularity of looksmaxxing amongst young people overall, she wrote that "where young people feel like they can't control their environment, they may turn to trends such as looksmaxxing as something they can control," attributing several real world problems such as an unstable economy and the increase in young men struggling to get into relationships.^[8] Paediatrician Milan Agrawal in an interview with BBC News, stated that "looksmaxxing perpetuates unrealistic physical expectations, prompting disordered eating habits among teenage boys".^[21][22]

Several methods of looksmaxxing have been criticized by doctors and dismissed as misinformation, including mewing and bonesmashing.^[15][23] Regarding mewing, researchers have argued that evidence supporting any change in facial structure is lacking. Facial surgeons have criticized bonesmashing saying it includes the risk for fractures, facial misalignment, neurovascular injuries, facial deformity, and alterations in vision. Physicians have been advised to help patients interested in looksmaxxing to distinguish between safe beauty practices and harmful practices, suggesting to patients to only conduct looksmaxxing practices when done in a medically viable manner.^[24]

Clavicular's system of rating looksmaxxing that he promotes in interviews and on social media is the PSL scale, which gives men a numerical rating then sorts men into three tiers: "subhuman," "normie," and "Chad." In her New Yorker criticism, journalist Becca Rothfeld explains, "The moral objections to looksmaxxing are numerous, severe, and obvious. A system that designates any person as 'subhuman' is beneath contempt, and that's to say nothing of the racial slurs to which looksmaxxing stalwarts help themselves regularly."^[16] She also cites a recent interview in which Clavicular "approvingly notes that Brad Pitt 'mogs' Mother Teresa."^[16]

Looksmaxxing demoralises and hurts the health of men and boys of all ages, but particularly young ones. A study published in the National Library of Medicine argues that lookmaxxing promotes a hegemonic masculine gaze on male bodies. Hegemonic masculinity is a social concept developed by R.W. Connell that defines the ideal form of dominant and physically attractive male bodies, legitimizes sexism, and reinforces patriarchy. The study's findings support its argument, and proves that the looksmaxxing community revolves around male supremacy and hegemonic masculinity.^[9]

• Body privilege
• Heightism
• Lookism
• Musicmaxxing
• -maxxing
• Masculinity

• Aleksic, Adam (14 July 2025). "How incel language infected the mainstream internet – and brought its toxicity with it". The Verge.