Share on Pinterest Appearance-based social media trends like looksmaxxing, softmaxxing, and hardmaxxing are often framed as self-improvement, but experts say they can contribute to body dysmorphia, ...

The internet has spent years optimising everything. Productivity routines. Morning workouts. Even sleep. Now the same mindset is being applied to appearance, only with far more intensity. Welcome to ...

The so-called looksmaxxing movement is narcissistic, cruel, racist, shot through with social Darwinism, and proudly anti-compassion. As the name suggests, looksmaxxers share a monomaniacal commitment ...

Since the fall of 2025, an eyebrow-raising new trend known as “looksmaxxing” has been making its way into mainstream internet culture, promoting the practice of radical physical self-improvement to ...

The trend of looksmaxxing has gained popularity among young men, mostly those in the manosphere and red pill circles. It began with encouraging guys to take care of themselves, eat well, work out, and ...

A theory about male “sexual market value” that began in online manosphere forums is now appearing in the TikTok feeds of Australian teenagers — repackaged as AI-powered “looksmaxxing” apps. The idea ...

Like most teen boys, my 13-year-old spends a fair amount of time in front of the mirror, scrutinizing his hair, putting this or that product on his skin, occasionally shaving his peach fuzz. But ...

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This one, incredibly, has a Merriam-Webster entry. The oft-cited dictionary authority defines “looksmaxxing” as, in part, “practices, especially among young men online, to enhance their physical ...

LB Beistad is a writer and musician based in Nashville, TN. Her love of gaming began with her cousin introducing her to Banjo Kazooie and Jak and Daxter when she was five years old. Since then, she ...