By: Mason Machiran and Nick

   Over the years in the social media age, various trends and challenges have come and gone. While there seem to be no constants on the Internet with various platforms and individuals’ popularity, one thing is true: doubts over users’ self-image. With enduring phenomena like FOMO and users trying to create a calculated social media presence, a new trend has emerged: looksmaxxing.
  Originating in online forums in the 2010’s and growing to become an online trend in 2023, looksmaxxing is a term that refers to maximizing one’s physical attractiveness, via methods ranging from small habits like grooming oneself and general self-care methods, known as softmaxxing, to more extreme and potentially harmful behaviors such as getting surgery and intentionally eating little to no food, known as hardmaxxing. Hardmaxxing methods usually consist of going through extreme methods to change one’s face or body. Additionally, looksmaxxers will inject themselves with peptides to improve their look. Peptides are extremely popular for looksmaxxers because of their ability to improve skin quality, muscle tone, and hair health, they attract many people. 

   “People will take supplements and also do something called bonesmashing where they hit themselves in the face, specifically on the jaws to improve the way their face or jawline looks,” explained senior Alec Royle. 

   As looksmaxxing has grown in popularity, more and more have joined online communities. But the question is, does it actually work, or is it just a big inside joke made to mislead people? While softmaxxing methods like having a skincare routine can improve one’s self-image, hardmaxxing methods like starving oneself and the aforementioned bonesmashing can pose serious health risks.

   “The only people I know who looksmaxx have either had a major glow up or they are starting to see results quickly and will probably continue to,” claimed senior Zach Skinner. Although he thinks looksmaxxing works, he also believes it’s been taken too far and he can’t see why anyone would want to hit themselves in the face just to improve their jawline.

  While some take looksmaxxing very seriously, some think of it as a funny joke. Senior Markus Hollis enjoys watching and following these viral social media trends because many memes and jokes come out of it. Hollis explains that he finds it funny how people looksmaxx try not to get “frame mogged”, having your body frame look inferior to someone else’s, after seeing this happen to an American streamer and influencer, Clavicular, at the hands of a frat leader at Arizona State University. 

   Other popular terms are hunter and prey eyes. Hunter eyes refer to having a positive canthal tilt, or eyes that curve upwards, and vice versa for prey eyes. With another aspect of looksmaxxing being a focus on one’s physical features, often ones uncontrollable like canthal tilt, it may do more harm than good. 

   “Hunter’s eyes and looksmaxxing do help people boost their self confidence, I believe it helps people achieve their goals and when their face is looking the best that it can people will naturally feel more confident,” said senior Jack Sloper. 

  Although looksmaxxing is a joke for some people, others take it very seriously. Whether someone thinks it is a way of life or just another stupid Internet trend, it’s likely that looksmaxxing has made its way into their life somehow.