Young Men Join "Looksmaxxing" Trend to Look Perfect

A new trend called 'looksmaxxing' is affecting young men around the world. The movement started on internet forums and social media. It encourages boys and teens to do extreme things to look more attractive. Some experts worry this trend is becoming dangerous for young people's mental health.

Levi, 15, and his friends care a lot about looking good when they go out. His friend Nate, also 15, agrees that he wants to look 'good and sharp' all the time. While caring about appearance is normal, looksmaxxing takes it much further. The word 'looksmaxxing' means making yourself as attractive as possible by any means necessary.

Some teens are trying risky methods like 'cheek biting' to make their jaw look stronger. Others take steroids or hit their jaw with hammers in something called 'bone smashing.' Dr. Simon Copland studies society at Australian National University. He worries that looksmaxxing is moving from dark internet corners into mainstream social media.

Two 17-year-old girls, Alex and Raven, have seen looksmaxxing content online. They think it creates toxic beauty standards like those from the early 2000s. Raven believes looksmaxxing reinforces bad ideas about what men should be. Dr. Zac Seidler is a psychologist who studies men's mental health.

Dr. Seidler says looksmaxxing uses fake science to take advantage of young men's fears. The movement claims to use data and logic, but most of it is not real science. This makes it hard for young men to question what they're being told. Looksmaxxing influencers use made-up measures to decide who is good-looking.