On Oct. 2, 2022, popular gaming YouTuber Dream revealed his face to the world. Because Dream hid his identity through a mask for years, many people who idolized him crafted an image in their minds of what they thought he looked like or what they wanted him to look like. After Dream finally posted a video revealing his face, he received heavy backlash, with thousands of people on social media mocking him for his appearance. These comments included memes comparing his face to cartoon characters, such as Lord Farquaad. While some comments carried a lighthearted tone, the atmosphere swiftly transformed into people mocking his jawline and other facial features, leading to the trending hashtag #PutTheMaskBackOn on X, formerly Twitter, in response to the reveal.
Beauty standards on social media or other digital platforms often influence the desire for facial enhancement. For instance, platforms like TikTok showcase short, highly edited videos where users often employ filters and editing techniques that accentuate facial appearance and alter overall appearance. This exposure fuels a desire for perfect facial features, leading to more comparison and a distorted image of beauty. This surge in glow-up culture on social media has played a pivotal role in giving rise to trends like looksmaxxing.
The desire for an individual to enhance their facial appearance forms a crucial component of looksmaxxing. Individuals engage in various practices, from basic facial grooming to advanced procedures to achieve the “ideal” facial aesthetic.
Looksmaxxing branches into two categories: softmaxxing and hardmaxxing. Softmaxxing adopts a gradual, holistic approach to self-improvement through practices such as daily skincare routines and consistent exercise. “A few years ago, when I saw a guy, their skincare routine was kind of just like a 13-in-one shampoo, moisturizer and all that, and now I feel like guys and everyone I know have skincare routines,” said junior Olmasaan Ebisso.
One viral technique heavily associated with softmaxxing, mewing, involves tongue posture adjustment to enhance one’s jawline. However, limited scientific evidence supports its effectiveness, and recent widespread adoption has led to a rise in other facial reconstruction methods.
Conversely, hardmaxxing involves more invasive and risky methods, including plastic surgery and extreme workout regimes. These methods focus on specific aesthetic goals with a willingness to undergo significant procedures for rapid results.
Among hardmaxxing trends, bonemashing stands out as a practice where individuals use blunt objects such as hammers or massagers on their faces to fracture their bones in hopes that the bones will heal back stronger, leading to a more defined jawline and overall facial structure. However, few people have actually attempted this trend, as it emerged from people trolling on incel forums. Orthopedic surgeons also warn that bonesmashing has severe health risks, such as infections and permanent damage to facial tissues.
Similar to incels, many looksmaxxers praise specific jaw structures or eye shapes unattainable through natural methods. One such feature is a positive canthal tilt, where the outer corner of the eye sits higher than the inner corner. This results in more expressive and piercing eyes, known as hunter eyes by the looksmaxxing community.
Because people cannot achieve these features naturally, cosmetic surgery represents a more drastic approach to looksmaxxing. Procedures such as rhinoplasty or jawline enhancements aim to alter facial appearance quickly and permanently. While these surgeries can address certain aesthetic concerns and improve self-confidence, they also carry risks, including nerve damage, infections and scarring, that individuals should carefully consider. “I think for the most part, people should be happy with how they look, and I don’t think people need [plastic surgery],” said senior Parker Bryntesen.
Prolonged exposure to idealized facial images online, especially to messages praising unchangeable features of a person, can contribute to issues such as body image struggles and distorted self-perceptions. The pursuit of facial perfection through looksmaxxing can lead to heightened self-criticism, where perceived flaws, even minor ones, become magnified.
Looking ahead, uncertainty looms over whether looksmaxxing as a social media trend will fade, but it seems likely that people will continue to strive for perfect appearances for years to come. “South Korea, for example, they have a lot of plastic surgery and stuff like that. We might be heading in that direction; I’m not really sure,” said Bryntesen. “But we’re also heading towards more self-acceptance with how you look, so it’s hard to say.”