In a TikTok video which has over two hundred thousand views, a young man explains how looksmaxxing for eight months has changed his appearance completely. He goes on to explain in detail how he went about looksmaxxing and advises viewers that they can achieve these results, too, if they remain committed to the series of practices he advocates. The list he shares includes such things as: 

• Doing facial self-massage
• Going to the gym once a day to undertake specific muscle training and fat-burning exercises
• Consuming specific protein and health supplements 
• Restricting daily intake of food
• Intermittent fasting

Looksmaxxing may look to adults like a nonsense word, but in fact refers to a growing trend on social media which encourages young people – and especially young men – to improve their physical appearance in order to get ahead in life. The word is a reference to attempts at maximizing your own appearance or looks. The advice given by those who advocate for looksmaxxing ranges from the relatively benign or even useful – exercising regularly and drinking plenty of water – to the dangerous, as some influencers push unregulated protein supplements and restrictive diets as well as uncompromising exercise schedules. 

This trend highlights the often-overlooked subject of teenage boys’ mental health and self-image and reminds us that anyone can struggle with disordered eating, not just girls and women. In this blog, we will discuss the history of looksmaxxing as a trend and explore some of the ways we can support teen boys who may be struggling with self-image and disordered eating.

A Worrying History

Although it is difficult to trace any internet trend, looksmaxxing seems most likely to have come from a collection of “incel” internet forums in the 2010s. This will be highly worrying to anyone who is familiar with the term incel, which is a portmanteau of involuntary celibate. This is a self-adopted title for frustrated young men who find themselves unable to connect romantically or sexually with women. Incel forums have been strongly associated with anti-female sentiment, and users often share their hatred for women in messages that sometimes advocate for violence against women. This violence has not always stayed contained to these forums: there have been several attacks and mass killings associated with the incel community. In 2018, for example, a young Canadian man who self-identified as an incel killed 11 people and injured 15 others as a part of what he termed the incel rebellion.[1]

According to psychologists, individuals who use these forums and who self-identify as incels are more likely to suffer from mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, as well as experience loneliness and display a victim mentality. As psychologist Dr. Andrew G Thomas explains, findings on incels “paint a picture of hopeless young men frustrated with their lack of mating prospects which manifests itself in extreme views, bravado, and the seeking of affiliation with others who feel the same way.”[2]

Of course, the majority of the young boys who search for or follow looksmaxxing content online are not self-identified incels. Indeed, the majority of teens who are casually consuming looksmaxxing videos or trying out looksmaxxing for themselves will likely have no idea about its history as a practice for incels. However, the link between looksmaxxing and the extreme views of incel communities should act as a red flag for parents and caring adults to pay close attention to this trend and how it could negatively affect young men and boys in our communities.

Softmaxxing and Hardmaxxing

Not all looksmaxxing practices are created equal, and knowing the difference is important to being able to understand the potential effects of this trend on teenagers’ mental health. Softmaxxing is a gentler form of looksmaxxing, which entails mostly basic personal hygiene and self-care practices: bathing regularly, using moisturizer, exercising for physical health, treating acne, and getting regular haircuts. As practices go, these are not particularly worrying and, in fact, provide tools which may help young boys move into the jarring physical changes of puberty with slightly more ease.

Hardmaxxing represents the other end of the spectrum and refers to more radical and extreme methods of looksmaxxing, including fasting and restrictive diets, unrelenting workout schedules, and even facial reconstruction surgeries or implants. Unlike softmaxxing, attempts by young men to undertake hardmaxxing are therefore very worrying; the emphasis that hardmaxxing places on changing one’s physical appearance and controlling every aspect of one’s behavior aligns with many of the symptoms that characterize eating disorders.

Looksmaxxing, Eating Disorders, and Boys’ Mental Health

Eating disorders (ED) represent a wide range of mental health conditions that influence self-perception and include symptoms such as restrictive eating, excessive exercise, bingeing and purging, or starvation. We very often discuss the impacts of ED on young women and girls, and indeed, the evidence has shown that more young women are naturally affected by these conditions than young men.[3] However, this looksmaxxing trend reminds us that young men are equally susceptible to struggling with ED and that we have a duty not to overlook this if we aim to support the mental health of men and boys in our communities. 

According to the American Psychological Association, the suicide rate among American men is about four times higher than among women. In addition, 9% of men in the United States report experiencing daily feelings of depression or anxiety.[4] Recent studies also suggest that the number of teenage boys and young men who are struggling with eating disorders is on the rise and, further, that disordered eating may manifest very differently in boys than it does in girls. For example, according to a study published in 2021, young boys are more likely to obsessively engage in what is referred to as “Muscularity Oriented Eating,” where food is consumed only on the basis of its relation to muscle growth. This can lead to malnutrition and other health problems but has not yet been officially classified as an eating disorder.[5]

The relationship between social media and mental health is complex: while it is tempting to blame this increase in disordered eating among young men directly on looksmaxxing trends, the reality is not so straightforward. While there is a relationship between the internalization of unattainable beauty ideals from social media and anxiety/depression among teens, young people also report feeling increasing general anxiety in a world that is hyper-connected, hyper-controlled, and saturated with global conflict.[6] For many teens, this leads to a feeling of losing control and being unable to make a meaningful difference for the better. In these instances, trends like looksmaxxing are appealing precisely because they offer the feeling of control over one’s appearance.

If we want to support our young men and boys, we must stay aware of online trends such as looksmaxxing and not only understand what they entail but also why they are appealing. Only by addressing the deeper insecurities, uncertainties, and fears that characterize these turns towards extreme online behavior can we hope to support good mental health for teenage boys. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with disordered eating, reach out to us. To learn more about how we can help support those struggling with disordered eating, visit the Eating Disorders page on our website. We are here to help.

Sources:

[1] Boyko, J. (2021) ‘2013 Toronto Van Attack’. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Aug 13. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/2018-toronto-van-attack

[2] Thomas, A. (2022) ‘What Do We Know About Incels?’ Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/darwin-does-dating/202210/what-do-we-know-about-incels

[3] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/eating-disorders

[4 https://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/12/numbers

[5] Nagata, J. M., Ganson, K. T., & Murray, S. B. (2020). Eating disorders in adolescent boys and young men: an update. Current opinion in pediatrics, 32(4), 476–481. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOP.0000000000000911[6] Farrell, R. (2024) Inside looksmaxxing, the extreme cosmetic social media trend. BBC News. 26 March. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240326-inside-looksmaxxing-the-extreme-cosmetic-social-media-trend