PHS is getting framemogged. Looksmaxxers on campus have begun to change expectations about what the average chad looks like. 

Outside of Piedmont, circa the 2010s, looksmaxxing began in the online community known as the manosphere, specifically within the incel community. Incel refers to men who consider themselves involuntarily celibate. According to a New York Times podcast, these men believe that, because they are not conventionally attractive and were not born with the ideal genes, they are incapable of attracting a partner. Looksmaxxing comes from an offshoot of the incel ideology, a nihilistic belief that appearance and attractiveness play an essential role in the outcome of life. Looksmaxxing specifically is the actions one takes to improve appearances.  

Looksmaxxing is often divided into several subcategories, with the two primary categories being hardmaxxing and softmaxxing. Hardmaxxing refers to the extreme methods of practice of looksmaxxing. According to Wikipedia, practices associated with hardmaxxing include getting implants or limb-lengthening surgeries, intentionally starving oneself (“starvemaxxing”), abusing anabolic steroids (“roidmaxxing”), using moisturizers to attempt to appear more white (“whitemaxxing”), and withholding sexual climax in an effort to boost testosterone (“edging”). 

Another subcategory is softmaxxing, a non-invasive and reversible method of looksmaxxing. According to Looksmaxxers.com, softmaxxing refers to the practice of following a slightly more-than-average body care routine in an effort to improve one’s appearance over time. This includes skincare routines, extensive gym sessions, hair care efforts, and excessive cologne use. 

Miguel Long, a PHS alum and self-proclaimed looksmaxxer, first joined the community because of his interest in improving his looks through these routines. 

“I started to adopt these skincare routines or other methods to improve my looks. That’s really where it [looksmaxxing] started for me in 2022, early 2023,” Long said.

Senior Elisha Bell said that she believes looksmaxxing, specifically hardmaxxing, to be a far-fetched plan to gain confidence. 

“I think it’s kind of dumb, changing your appearance to make yourself feel more confident, but doing permanent facial altering surgeries of that nature, where you’re breaking your jaw, feels kind of stretched to me,” Bell said. 

Long said that he does not participate in bone smashing or the use of peptides; however, he has made significant changes to his lifestyle. 

“​​For me, it’s mainly just eating a really good diet. I’ve become a big health nut, you could say. Recently, [I’ve been] really focusing on what I eat, what I put in my body, how it affects my skin, how it affects my sleep, and other things that could affect my appearance,” Long said. 

Long said that his primary motivation behind continuing the efforts of his appearance has been the community on TikTok and the use of social media. 

“I definitely do it more for the social media aspect. I don’t really care about what people think of me IRL [in real life],” Long said. “So I definitely just do it mainly for the social media page.” 

Long’s content on TikTok has amassed 39,000followers and a collective 3.5 million likes. 

“My account started blowing up pretty quickly. I think I got probably 2,000 followers in the first two weeks. And then I think in September, I hit 10K or 15K,” Long said.

Long said that once he started blowing up, companies reached out asking him to promote their products. 

“I didn’t know you could make money from this, so that really changed my perspective,” Long said. “Once I started getting money, I started shifting my focus to doing that.”

Frame mogged is internet slang used to describe a situation where someone with a significantly larger, more muscular, or dominant physical build makes someone else appear, or feel, noticeably smaller and less athletic by comparison, especially when they are standing next to each other (Baltimore Ravens) 

A Looksmaxxer is an individual—typically a young man or teenage boy—who obsessively dedicates themselves to maximizing their physical attractiveness. (BBC)

Chad is a generic name used to refer to several types of supposedly dominant male figures: a strong, handsome man who attracts women; an obliviously entitled man. (Merriam Webster)

Looksmaxxing is an online self-improvement practice focused on the process of maximizing one’s physical attractiveness. (Wikipedia)

Manosphere refers to male-centered websites, Internet communities, and other digital media regarded collectively as espousing anti-feminist views, typically involving misogyny and associated with far-right ideologies. Increasingly, the term refers more generally to a broader media environment, especially popular with young men online, criticized as promoting ultraconservative models of masculinity.  (Merriam Webster)

Incel (a portmanteau of “involuntarily celibate“) is a member of an online subculture of mostly male and heterosexual people who define themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one. They often blame, objectify, and denigrate women as a result. (Wikipedia)

Hardmaxxing is taking extreme, often invasive, measures to improve one’s physical attractiveness. (Collins Dictionary)

Softmaxxing is looksmaxxing using non-invasive techniques. (Collins Dictionary)