90 degree jawlines. Hunter eyes. Perfect cheekbones. Lying on his bed, 10-year-old Bob browses TikTok, pausing on video after video analyzing faces. One creator zooms in on his own jaw, going as far as to measure the angle with a protractor. Another provides a miracle cure for the population’s ‘beauty deficiency.’ Minutes pass, then an hour, and somehow by the end of it, his own features feel distorted.

What he, and millions of others, are engaging with has a name: looksmaxxing. At its core, looksmaxxing is the practice of deliberately maximizing one’s appearance through various ‘self improvement’ methods. In its milder forms, it includes skincare routines, fitness regimens or fashion choices. However, in more extreme cases, it encourages procedures like jaw surgery, cosmetic enhancements or unproven techniques designed to reshape the face and body.

History has always had its share of extreme beauty standards, from the Song Dynasty’s foot binding to the Elizabethan era’s love for corsets. However, rather than being defined by larger cultural trends, looksmaxxing is defined by the angle of your ‘canthal tilt,’ or the angle of the eye in proportion to its inner corner.  

The trend itself has had a decade-long run; from the early 2010s to the present day, it has seen a surge in popularity. The trend has since reached the deepest depths of Tiktok, where it has been dissected and redefined as a metric in success.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary currently defines the term looksmaxxing as “efforts, sometimes extreme, individuals take to look more attractive.” The term itself combines “looks,” meaning physical appearance with “‑maxxing,” meaning to optimize or maximize. Although this may not be the case for all looksmaxxers, it is considered the popular online understanding of the term. 

The term looksmaxxing first emerged in self proclaimed incel dominated forums, where users discussed tactics to achieve social success. These debates ranged from basic grooming tips to extreme procedures. However, they slowly shifted from maintaining daily hygiene to the ‘hardmaxxing’ prevalent on social media platforms today. 

More recently, forms of harmdaxxing have appeared on platforms like TikTok, where short videos, facial analyses and tutorials on appearance optimization have introduced it to a younger audience. After prolonged exposure to highly edited social media feeds, the young audiences may feel alienated. This is where looksmaxxing comes into play. 

Typically, individuals experiencing issues such as low self esteem, lack of confidence or a dissatisfaction with their body are prone to falling victim to looksmaxxing. A 2025 study, published in Sociology of Health & Illness, found that online looksmaxxing communities can be detrimental to men’s mental health. After analyzing thousands of posts on an online looksmaxxing forum, the researchers found that the “self-help community” offered extreme solutions and, rather than helping users, it demoralized them.

Looksmaxxing warps the perception of already vulnerable individuals, convincing them that ‘mewing,’ (the act of pushing your tongue against the roof of your mouth for a sharper jawline) will somehow benefit their social standing in the long run. This creates a positive feedback loop where individuals leave feeling worse than how they began.

“I’ve seen looksmaxxing videos circulate online and in-person. Especially ‘mewing’ and ‘positive canthal tilt,’ it’s become daily life at this point,” freshman Aarush Mane said. “These videos often spread dangerous methods to improve physical appearance, much to my distaste. People I know very well view popular influencers, or ‘Chads,’ as role models.”

To make it worse, looksmaxxing often targets young, impressionable audiences. What starts as a ‘small trend on Tiktok’ is often the nail on the coffin. 

There are certain criteria looksmaxxers must adhere to in order to be considered a ‘Chad’ (or conventionally attractive male). Characteristics include having the body of a Greek God, a jawline with a minimum of 90 degrees and a 1.6 shoulder-to-waist ratio. This criteria sets unrealistic standards for most and promotes unrealistic ideals, leading to low self esteem, widespread body dissatisfaction and self objectification.

“To those who feel like their self-worth comes from their looksmaxxing efforts, remember that, as cliche as it is, you’re perfect just the way you are,” Mane said. “Beauty standards change almost every day. We shouldn’t pressure vulnerable teens from experimenting and developing their identity during. Focusing on personal hygiene and personality is way more important. After all, we’re all just figuring things out.”

In a study published in the National Library of Medicine, they found eating disorders among adolescents have increased in recent years. Morris and Katzman largely attribute this to the rise of harmful media in the past decade. 

Certain cases of extreme looksmaxxing also share similarities with phrenology, a disapproved pseudoscience from the 1900s where someone’s worth could be measured by their skull shape. Both involve quantifying an individual’s value using physical traits without any evidence to back it up.

There is no ‘perfect formula’ for attraction. Beauty trends will come and go, but the irreparable damage from smashing your bones in for the sake of a 90 degree jawline will stay. The growing momentum of looksmaxxing on apps with primarily young adult consumers is extremely concerning and creates a cycle where self worth is tied to unachievable metrics.