‘Looksmaxxing,’ focused on optimizing male physical appearance, raises concerns
A male-oriented trend called “looksmaxxing”—an extreme focus on body image or appearance, fueled by online influencers—is on the uptick and can be both physically and mentally harmful to boys and young men, according to experts.
S. Bryn Austin, professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, was among several researchers who talked about the trend in an Oct. 22 article in The Harvard Independent. “What young men are being told through social media is that their appearance is what is most important about them,” she said, adding that while this type of messaging has been directed at girls and young women for decades, “it’s now targeting boys in a way that it has never before.”
Experts in the article said that looksmaxxing focuses on maximizing physical attractiveness through grooming, fitness, cosmetic procedures, and sometimes dangerous practices. For example, looksmaxxing has led some individuals to engage in an extreme behavior called “bonesmashing”—hitting their face with a hammer or fist to microfracture bone in the hope that it heals thicker. Austin said that her clinician colleagues at Boston Children’s Hospital have been alarmed by recent cases of boys and young men showing up in the emergency department with injuries related to looksmaxxing practices.
Others are using peptide supplements. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that can signal cells to repair damaged skin or release growth hormones. While some peptides are FDA-approved, the peptide supplements being sold online for looksmaxxing are often unapproved—so users can’t know for sure what’s in them—and the influencers selling these goods are unlikely to have medical credentials or experience. Furthermore, peptide supplements have been linked with a number of health issues, such as infections, cardiac and liver problems, and even death.
Austin said that, for boys who are lonely, body insecure, or struggling in school, looksmaxxing can offer a solution they can control but that fails to address their real problems. “This is a distraction of the most supreme kind,” she said. She thinks more rules are needed to rein in social media platforms that promote looksmaxxing. “We need stronger regulation to keep [tech companies] from being able to exploit young people the way they do,” she said.
Read the Harvard Independent article: Clavicular, Looksmaxxing, and the Price of Online Influence
