Social media introduces new trends everyday, but one of the most concerning new trends is looksmaxxing. Looksmaxxing is the idea that people should do everything possible to improve their appearance in order to become more attractive. While self-care and confidence are important, trends like looksmaxxing often push people toward unhealthy obsessions and unrealistic beauty standards.
One major problem with looksmaxxing is that it encourages insecurity. Influencers like Clavicular and Marlon are associated with looksmaxxing. They create videos that promote the idea that people must constantly change themselves to be accepted or admired. Teenagers scroll through edited photos and videos showcasing “hunter eyes” and a “positive eye tilt.” This leads viewers to compare themselves to unrealistic standards. One of Marlon’s most viewed TikTok videos with over 126.1 million views features comments such as “I thought I opened my camera for a sec,” and “Chad does what Chad wants” while other users even post pictures comparing themselves to him. Commenters are quick to judge and compare themselves to these unrealistic standards, becoming obsessed with these influencers’ looks. Some even excuse their behaviors and actions because of their looks.
Looksmaxxing can also negatively affect mental health. Some people become obsessed with analyzing their faces, body shapes, or other features they cannot naturally control. Instead of building confidence, the trend often causes anxiety and low self-esteem. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center study, 45% of teens said they spend too much time on social media. Some teens may spend hours worrying about how they look instead of focusing on school, friendships, hobbies, or personal growth.
Another concern is that looksmaxxing can promote dangerous habits. Extreme dieting, over-exercising, steroids, peptide injections, and unnecessary cosmetic procedures are often promoted online and included by influencers as a quick solution to becoming more attractive.
Influencers like Clavicular have also made dangerous trends such as bone smashing popular. Bone smashing involves using a hard object to smash certain facial bones, usually the jaw, cheekbone, or nose. This is believed to make your face have more structure. Dangerous methods like bone smashing make teens feel pressured to change themselves in unhealthy ways just to fit these standards. Even in short videos on social media, people are judged entirely by their appearance and are called “sub-3s,” meaning unattractive, or “Chads,” meaning very attractive. This encourages a toxic and shallow mindset. Clavicular promotes looksmaxxing and gives people, usually his followers, advice on how to meet his standard of beauty. He also encouraged his past girlfriend to “looksmax” by starting peptide injections and bone smashing, in order for her to look better.
Overall, looksmaxxing can negatively affect how people treat others. When appearance becomes the main focus, personality and character are often ignored. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look your best through healthy habits like exercise, hygiene, and self care, but there is a difference between self-improvement and obsession. True confidence should come from accepting yourself and recognizing your value beyond physical appearance. Looksmaxxing may seem harmless, but its effects on mental health and self-esteem make it a harmful trend that deserves greater scrutiny.
