The Morning Edition 'Looksmaxxing’ is the dark new trend and Australian men are leading it
Mar 22, 2026
Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker writer who studies internet subcultures, unpacks the looksmaxxing movement and its origins. She traces ties to incel and black pill ideas. She explores extreme practices like bone smashing, steroids and limb-lengthening. She discusses cultural forces, online contagion, health dangers and why many prominent participants are Australian.
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Looksmaxing Is Incel Ideology Turned Technical
- Looksmaxing evolved from incel ideology that claims looks determine social destiny.
- It flips the black-pill fatalism into the belief you can intervene on appearance to change status, creating a practical optimization culture.
Fringe Body Hacks Like Bone Smashing And Mewing
- Looksmaxers use fringe methods like bone smashing and mewing to reshape jaws despite weak scientific support.
- Bone smashing aims to create microfractures (Wolf's law) and mewing stems from a discredited orthodontist's ideas.
Clavicular's Extreme Personal Journey
- Clavicular (Braden Peters) is the poster child who used meth, steroids and extreme surgeries to pursue beauty.
- He microdosed meth for appetite suppression, became infertile from steroids, and considers limb lengthening surgery.