How looksmaxxing trend is affecting young men

For 15-year-old Levi and his friends, looking good is a constant priority. "When I go out, you know, I want to have like a good reputation," he says. His friend Nate, also 15, agrees: "Yeah, same. I want to make sure I'm always looking good and sharp, as much as I can."

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When I go out, you know, I want to have like a good reputation.

This focus on appearance has fueled a movement called "looksmaxxing," which urges young men to become as attractive as possible through any means necessary. This can involve extreme diets, surgery, or drugs. Some teenagers describe dangerous practices like "bone smashing" to enhance their jawlines or using peptides and steroids. Corbin, 16, notes, "People cheek bite: they grip their cheeks really hard inside their mouth to enhance their jawline."

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Yeah, same. I want to make sure I'm always looking good and sharp, as much as I can.

Sociology researcher Simon Copland from the Australian National University explains that the "self-help" industry has increasingly targeted young men, shifting focus from the traditional emphasis on young women's appearance. The rise of social media and influencers has significantly amplified this trend. Seventeen-year-olds Alex and Raven see looksmaxxing content online as another "toxic beauty standard," similar to the early 2000s obsession with weight. Raven believes looksmaxxing reinforces harmful stereotypes about masculinity.

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People cheek bite: they grip their cheeks really hard inside their mouth to enhance their jawline.

Psychologist Zac Seidler, who specializes in men's mental health, acknowledges societal biases favoring appearance but dismisses much of looksmaxxing as pseudoscience. He states that these trends exploit young men's fears and insecurities, offering no valid basis for defining attractiveness. "I think that looksmaxxing just reinforces very terrible stereotypes about what men should be and what they shouldn't be, so I think it's just not good for anyone," Alex says.

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I see some people taking peptides and steroids to try and enhance their body.