Looksmaxxing
DESCRIPTION:
Looksmaxxing: a dangerous social media trend for young men. Toxic masculinity, body shaming and the pressure to optimise one's appearance. Experts warn.
Looksmaxxing: The dangerous TikTok trend in which young men optimise their appearance in a beauty craze (ZDF documentary analysis)
A phenomenon is spreading on social media that goes far beyond standard vanity. Looksmaxxing is more than just a hashtag; it is an ideology that drives thousands of young men into a spiral of self-hatred and self-optimisation. What often starts innocently enough with skincare tips ends in dangerous practices such as bone-smashing.
What it's about:
· The psychological background,
· Technical terms such as mewing and hunter eyes, and
· Why this obsession with beauty poses a serious threat to mental health.
Read about what really goes on behind the façade of perfection.
What is looksmaxxing and why do young men want to maximise their appearance?
The term looksmaxxing may sound new to outsiders, but it describes a practice that has become deeply ingrained in the digital culture of young men. The term originally comes from bodybuilding and incel forums, but has now reached the mainstream via TikTok and Instagram. At its core, looksmaxxing describes the process of improving one's physical appearance as much as possible through various methods. The goal is often not only to feel better, but to increase one's market value on the dating market or to exert social dominance, a process known in the scene as mogging.
Anyone scrolling through TikTok today will quickly come across videos in which young men have their faces measured, analysed and evaluated. It's precision work. A face is no longer perceived as a whole, but broken down into its individual parts: jaw angle, eye distance, skin texture. The motivation behind this is often deep insecurity. In a world perceived as increasingly complex and competitive, one's appearance is one of the few factors one still has control over. Looksmaxxers firmly believe that social advancement and romantic success depend almost exclusively on genetic aesthetics.
The algorithmic nature of social media fuels this fixation on appearance. Those who look better – or at least know how to use filters and lighting – get more likes, more attention and, seemingly, more respect. For many adolescents, optimising their own bodies therefore becomes a substitute religion. They don't just want to look good; they want to be perfect to survive the fierce competition of the digital age. But this pursuit of perfection comes at a high price, which we will examine in more detail below.
The neoliberal self-optimisation industry and the laws of the attention economy
Looksmaxxing is not an isolated phenomenon but a symptom of a neoliberal society that brands people. In the logic of neoliberalism, the body is no longer a matter of fate, but a project, a capital that needs to be managed. We are entrepreneurs of ourselves, and our faces are our business cards. Those who do not optimise, who do not get the most out of their genetic potential, are considered lazy or failures. The industry behind it – from supplement manufacturers to jaw trainer suppliers – profits massively from this insecurity. It suggests that social participation and success can be bought and achieved if you work hard enough on your bones.
At the same time, we live in what French philosopher Guy Debord called a society of the spectacle. The image, the staging, becomes more important than reality itself. In the attention economy, visibility is the hardest currency. Algorithms on TikTok and Instagram reward not nuance or character, but visual extremes and instant gratification. An average face doesn't generate clicks; a face with extreme proportions or a shocking transformation does.
Through these feedback loops of the attention economy, young men learn that their value is purely quantifiable: in likes, views and matches. The human body becomes a commodity that must compete in a ruthless market. Looksmaxxing is the desperate attempt to increase the market value of this commodity, the body, through extreme investment. It is the total economisation of human existence, in which intimacy and dignity are sacrificed to the logic of profit.
How do influencers on TikTok and Instagram define unattainable ideals of beauty?
The role of influencers in this process can hardly be overestimated. Every day, millions of images and videos are uploaded to platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, suggesting realities that do not exist. We live in an age of beauty inflation. Social media confronts us with images that show the absolute top 1 per cent of the genetic lottery – and even these images are often additionally edited, filtered and perfectly lit.
This constant comparison is devastating for the human psyche. What used to be considered normal, average looks are now often classified as ugly or even subhuman in the looksmaxxing scene. Influencers, who usually use medical procedures or at least professional image editing themselves, set unattainable beauty ideals. One social media trend follows another: today it's the perfect jawline, tomorrow the shape of the eyes, the day after tomorrow the width of the nose. The normal distribution of attractiveness is extremely distorted in the perception of those affected. Faced with these hyper-real standards, a healthy, average young man often feels like genetic waste.
Looksmaxxing forums and comment sections further exacerbate these mechanisms. Here, beauty ideals prevail that seem almost caricature-like. A man must be tall, broad-shouldered, with a chiselled jaw and hunter eyes. Deviations are mercilessly pathologised. The message from influencers and the community is clear: only those who look better have a right to success and happiness. This toxic message falls on fertile ground among young men who are still finding their identity and leads to a massive distortion of self-image.
Softmaxxing vs. hardmaxxing: where does self-improvement end and obsession begin?
To understand the phenomenon, one must be aware of the distinction made within the community itself. There are two main trends: softmaxing and hardmaxing. These terms help to classify the range of measures young men take to optimise their appearance.
Softmaxxing encompasses conventional, mostly healthy self-care practices. These include skin care, a new hairstyle, beard care, fashion, sports, diet and hygiene. Measures such as brushing your teeth, washing your face or dressing better are socially acceptable and can actually increase well-being and self-esteem. It is basically the classic makeover, only under a new, technocratic name. No one would dispute that self-improvement in this context is positive. When a young man starts exercising and watching his diet, it initially benefits his health.
But the line quickly blurs when it becomes hardmaxxing. This is where the transition into the pathological realm begins. Hardmaxxing involves permanent changes to bone structure or tissue. The spectrum ranges from teeth whitening and hair transplants to extreme cosmetic surgery, jaw implants, risky leg lengthening for greater height, or steroid abuse. Here, the body is no longer cared for but modified like a machine. The goal is to correct perceived genetic deficiencies forcibly. The willingness to risk one's own health for a supposedly better appearance is alarmingly high in this area of the scene.
What dangerous methods do Looksmaxxers use to alter their faces drastically?
Particularly alarming are the DIY trends that are spreading as dangerous TikTok trends. Because many young viewers do not have the money for expensive operations, they resort to methods that leave doctors and experts stunned. An alarming example is bone smashing.
In bone smashing, young men hit themselves in the face with complex objects, sometimes even hammers. The theory behind this is based on a complete misinterpretation of Wolff's law. Although this law states that bones remodel under stress, Looksmaxxers mistakenly believe that hammering their facial bones will create targeted microfractures that will then grow back thicker and stronger, resulting in more pronounced facial features and cheekbones. This is medical nonsense. The reality is nerve damage, asymmetry, chronic pain and disfigurement. There is no evidence whatsoever that you can beat your face into beauty.
Another method is excessive chewing of extremely hard chewing gum or special silicone jaw trainers. The aim is to hypertrophy the masseter muscle to the point that the jaw appears wider. While this may work to a small extent, dentists warn of the consequences: jaw joint problems, tooth damage from the enormous pressure, and chronic headaches. These dangerous methods show how desperate the desire to conform to a particular ideal is and how much rational risk assessment suffers under the pressure of beauty obsession.
Upper Eyelid Exposure (UEE) and Mewing: Why are Looksmaxxers discussing the upper eyelid?
Anyone who delves into the forums at looksmax.org or corresponding subreddits on Reddit will find pseudo-scientific language that breaks the body down into mathematical variables. A central topic here is the eye area. The term upper eyelid exposure (UEE) or simply exposure is often used here.
UEE describes how much of the upper eyelid is visible when the eye is open. In the logic of the looksmaxxing community, the less eyelid that is visible, the better. The ideal is the so-called hunter eyes – deep-set eyes covered by the forehead with minimal UEE and a positive tilt. In contrast, prey eyes are rounder, show more eyelid, and often have a negative tilt. These are considered signs of weakness and inferiority. The fact that young men measure their eyelids and consider themselves unattractive because of a few millimetres of skin illustrates this obsession with detail.
Another term that is almost revered as a religion is mewing. Named after orthodontist Mike Mew, it refers to a technique in which the tongue is pressed flat against the palate. Supposedly, this can change the facial structure, even in adulthood, bringing the jaw forward and making the face more defined. While correct tongue posture and nasal breathing are beneficial to health, the idea that an adult man can radically reshape his facial bones by" is mostly wishful thinking. Nevertheless, mewing is sold on TikTok as a miracle cure, often accompanied by before-and-after pictures that have more to do with lighting and angles than actual bone growth.
What role do incels and forums play in the radical looksmaxxing scene?
Looksmaxxing is deeply rooted in the Blackpill ideology, which is often propagated in incel forums. Incels (involuntary celibates) are men who live in involuntary sexual abstinence and often blame women and society for this. The Black Pill is a fatalistic worldview that says genetics is destiny. In this mindset, appearance determines everything in life.
The tone in the looksmaxxing forums is harsh. Anyone who posts a photo of themselves must expect brutal honesty, which often descends into outright bullying. Users analyse each other's faces with clinical coldness: negative canthal tilt, receding chin, asymmetry – it's over for you. Comments like these are commonplace. The community is toxic. Members reinforce each other's belief that without perfect looks, you are worthless.
At the same time, the hope of salvation through hardmaxxing is sold here. The result is a bizarre mixture of hopelessness about one's genes and extreme activism through surgery. The connection to incels is dangerous, as it is often accompanied by misogyny and a general misanthropy. Looksmaxxing becomes a tool in a supposed war of the sexes, where the only goal is to force more success with women or dominate other men.
Is the TikTok trend a new form of eating disorder or body dysmorphia?
What is sold on TikTok as harmless self-optimisation often meets the diagnostic criteria for body dysmorphic disorder. People with this disorder are overly concerned about an imagined or minimal flaw in their appearance. In the context of looksmaxxing, this disorder is collectivised and digitally amplified.
The looksmaxxer often suffers from a massively distorted perception. They do not see their face in the mirror, but rather a collection of flaws. Their gaze is deficit-oriented and fragmented. The face as a whole, as a carrier of emotion and personality, disappears. This disorder has parallels with an eating disorder: here, too, it is about extreme control over the body, about numbers, measurements and comparison with unattainable ideals. The hunger for beauty is never satisfied, no matter how much one optimises.
In addition, we often see an obsession that dominates everyday life. Hours spent checking oneself in the mirror, excessive photography from different angles, social isolation due to shame about one's own appearance – all these are symptoms of a serious mental illness. The mental health of these young men is at serious risk. Constantly focusing on one's own shortcomings leads to depression and anxiety disorders. In this sense, looksmaxxing is often not a hobby, but a symptom of emotional distress.
The crisis of masculinity: why are young adults seeking stability in their outward appearance?
Why are young men and young adults in particular so susceptible to this trend today? Looksmaxxing can be understood as a symptom of a profound crisis of masculinity. Traditional role models are disintegrating, economic uncertainties are growing, and the demands placed on men are becoming more complex. In a world that is perceived as chaotic and uncontrollable, one's own body offers the last remaining area of absolute control.
The ideology of looksmaxxing draws on an archaic image of masculinity. It is about strength, toughness and dominance. Feelings, empathy and intellect are often considered secondary. Men are reduced to their biological function and their visual assertiveness. In the looksmaxxing scene, the rule is: if you look like an alpha, you will be treated like one.
This escape into outward appearances is often a defence mechanism. It is easier to worry about your lower jaw than to deal with loneliness, fear of failure or feelings of insignificance. If a young man believes that his unhappiness is solely due to his chin or his eyes, then there is an apparent solution: surgery or training. This avoids the painful confrontation with one's own character and emotional maturity.
Psychodynamics and implicit sexism: the body as a weapon in the gender hierarchy
One aspect that is often overlooked in the discussion is the underlying psychodynamics of misogyny and implicit sexism that pervades looksmaxxing. The ideology is closely linked to the incel scene and is based on a deeply biological view of women. In this worldview, women are dehumanised and reduced to mere stimulus-response machines. The assumption is that women are genetically programmed to respond only to the perfect Chad.
This reveals a massive defence mechanism. By believing that women are superficial beings who only scan bone structure, the young man protects himself from genuine emotional vulnerability. Rejection by a woman is no longer interpreted as human interaction or a lack of chemistry, but as mathematical inevitability due to a few millimetres missing from the jaw. This relieves the ego, but leads to bitterness.
The implicit sexism is also evident in the fact that one's own body is stylised into a weapon of dominance. Looksmaxxing is often less about meeting a partner on equal terms and more about achieving a status that makes women available. It is an attempt to regain power in a world where gender roles are changing and women are increasingly making their own choices. ' hypermasculine aesthetic (broad jaw, hunter's eyes) is the armour that the fragile male ego puts on so as not to be perceived as beta or prey. It is a form of toxic masculinity that equates vulnerability with annihilation.
Looksmaxxing promises control and happiness, but instead delivers obsession and suffering. The way out of the crisis is not through the scalpel, but through acceptance of one's own self, with all its rough edges.
Summary: The most important points at a glance
· Looksmaxxing is a dangerous TikTok trend in which young men compulsively try to optimise their appearance.
· A distinction is made between softmaxing (grooming, style) and hardmaxing (surgery, bone structure changes).
· Dangerous methods such as bone smashing (hammering the face) lead to serious injuries and are based on false assumptions.
· Terms such as mewing, hunter eyes, and upper eyelid exposure dominate the discussion, leading to a pathological obsession with detail.
· Influencers and social media set unattainable beauty standards that can lead to body dysmorphic disorder in many people.
· The movement overlaps with incels and toxic images of masculinity.
· The way out lies in strengthening self-esteem, regardless of outward appearance.
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