In a post-COVID world, the younger generation has turned to social media to express and fix their insecurities. There are ads for Ozempic on the subways and influencers pressuring viewers into buying products that will help people “look their best.

A rising trend specifically targeting young boys and men is called “looksmaxxing.” 

According to Merriam-Webster, “looksmaxxing refers to practices, especially among young men online, to enhance their physical appearance. These practices range in intensity, from everyday skincare to cosmetic surgery.” The idea of using products to change your appearance is not foreign to teens and young adults, especially those who have grown up in the era of social media. However, the methods that popular “looksmaxxing influencers” encourage have become increasingly dangerous. 

One popular looksmaxxer currently is an influencer who goes by the name “Clavicular.” He rose to fame in 2025 when his questionable methods of looksmaxxing and his cocky personality caught the public’s attention on a site called Kick, as well as various social media platforms such as TikTok. His streams have an average of 25,000 viewers per stream and he streams at least 4 times a week. Clavicular flaunts toxic routines such as “bonesmashing,” a practice where you repeatedly hit a bone in your body in hopes it will grow back stronger and more chiseled. He even claims he uses highly addictive and dangerous stimulant drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine in an attempt to stay thin. 

To get a firsthand perspective, I discussed this concept with my brother, Rocco Papa Greaney. He believes that looksmaxxing has “positively benefited his life” and has led him to care more about his skincare regimen, adding that he has begun using whitening strips on his teeth. He mentioned the concept of “Softmaxxing,” a less extreme form of Looksmaxxing than what popular influencers such as Clavicular promote. 

Additionally, I conversed with a sophomore at UMASS who believes looksmaxxing has helped him feel more confident in college. He noted his feeling that in college, looks are a “currency,” and it’s hard not to feel insecure when appearances are taken so seriously. He believes that looksmaxxing has made him happier, but only because of the fact that he did his own research and stayed away from TikTok. He said that “you can’t trust TikTok for anything like that because everyone is selling you a product.” He also believes that Clavicular advertises his most extreme looksmaxxing tactics because he knows that’s what’s going to keep his followers engaged and maintain his influencer status.

I spoke to Charlotte Bieber, a senior here at Brooklyn Arts, who made a parody of a looksmaxxing TikTok account. This was met with hateful comments from various TikTok users who subscribe to the looksmaxxing trends. TikTok users commented on words such as “Foid,” which is a derogatory term used by the looksmaxxing community to characterize women as not fully human. She said that these comments seemed misogynistic in nature and highlighted the toxic masculinity (among other issues) that a trend like looksmaxxing brings. 

Doctor Stewart Murray, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of Southern California, warns of the misinformation circulating on TikTok. He believes that the more extreme versions of these processes are “inherently dangerous” and directly relate to the rapid growth of eating disorders amongst young men. 

To some young men, “looksmaxxing” is an important practice. Others argue that these methods only result in more harm to both the mental and physical health of young men around them.

While it’s hard to ignore your own looks in a world that’s undoubtedly fixated on physical appearances, it’s clear that looksmaxxing influencers such as Clavicular, promote toxic masculinity and will only result in long-term physical challenges down the line.