Translated material
Gigachad or subhuman?
The idea of luxmaxing—“maximizing appearance” for young men—has become widespread on the Internet. The ideal of male beauty from the point of view of lookmaskers is a fit, muscular body, a thin face with a pronounced jaw, thick hair and a certain eye shape. To achieve this look, some guys start eating right, exercising and taking care of their skin, while others resort to taking steroids, “beauty injections” and plastic surgery.
“Bereg” figured out where the Luxmaxing trend came from in the first place, and also talked with experts to find out how safe the practices that influencers are actively promoting on TikTok are.
Chapter 1History of the movement, its main features and dangers
What is Luxmaxing and where did this trend come from?
Luxmaxing (from the English looks - “appearance” and maxxing - “maximization”) is the practice of improving one’s own attractiveness by men and an Internet subculture that promotes certain standards of male beauty: a thin face with a pronounced jawline and a muscular body.
The movement originated in the mid-2010s in the manosphere , on forums of so-called incels (from the English involuntary celibates - “involuntarily abstaining”) - men who cannot find a partner, blame women for being too selective and sometimes openly support the ideas of sexualized violence and aggression.
The phenomenon is associated with Red Pill and Black Pill ideologies. This metaphor is inspired by the movie "The Matrix": Neo had to choose between two pills - a blue one, which would give him the opportunity to remain in a comfortable illusion, and a red one, which would allow him to see how the world really works. By harsh reality, incels understand their own belief that women choose partners based primarily on external parameters (height, weight, facial features and general attractiveness), and not on personal qualities. Adherents of the “red pill ideology” believe that you need to dominate women through demonstrating your masculinity - and for this you need to “improve” your appearance and develop self-confidence.
Supporters of the “black pill ideology” have come to a more fatalistic position: the struggle is pointless, since physical attractiveness is genetically predetermined: either you are a so-called child , that is, the height of male perfection, or you are doomed to failure, no matter what you do to yourself .
Here's what Luxmaxers think the ideal man should look like:
- thin and symmetrical face;
- pronounced cheekbones, wide chin and clear jaw line;
- clear skin;
- the so-called hunter's eyes ;
- athletic build;
- fashionable styling: hair should be of medium length, neatly cut and combed.
Judging by social networks, examples of ideal male appearance for Luxmaxers are the hero of the film “American Psycho” (2000) Patrick Bateman, who strictly followed his appearance and training regimen, actors Matt Bomer, Robert Pattinson and Chris Hemsworth, models Jordan Barrett and Francisco Lachowski.
From the manosphere in the 2020s, the ideas of lookmaxers migrated to TikTok and Instagram (albeit in a simplified form), where, thanks to social network algorithms, they found their audience. Now many users perceive Luxmaxing only as an interest in grooming, fitness and style, without sharing misogynistic radical views and not always immersing themselves in the ideological side of the issue.
Soft and hard: what Luxmaxers do to themselves to become more attractive
Luxmaxing practices include a wide range of ways to improve your appearance. They can be classified into two large groups - the so-called softmaxing and hardmaxing.
Softmaxing (softmaxxing, from the English soft - “soft”) - usually quite harmless practices like skin care and light cosmetic procedures, playing sports and improving posture, proper nutrition and avoiding alcohol , changing the style of clothing and haircut .
The definition of softmaxing also includes exercises related to strengthening the facial muscles, which are often not very useful and sometimes even risky. For example:
- Mewing (from the surname Mew) is a constant pressing of the tongue against the upper palate. The technique supposedly improves facial contours and creates a defined jawline. The method was developed in the mid-20th century by British orthodontist John Mew (he himself called this technique orthotropy). There is no scientific evidence for the effectiveness of mewing. Moreover, the American Association of Orthodontists recommends caution in such exercises: the tongue is one of the strongest muscles in the body, and its constant pressure on the teeth can ruin the bite.
- Chewing (from the English chew - “chew”) is another exercise for strengthening the jaw line. This time using hard chewing gum. There is also no scientific evidence that it works: expertsbelieve that training the masticatory muscles is unlikely to significantly change a person’s face, but can lead to problems with the jaw joints. So the only companies that benefit from cheating are companies that produce special rubber simulators.
- Facebuilding (facebuilding, from the English face - “face” and building - “construction, formation”) is any gymnastics to strengthen the facial muscles without special devices. And again without proven effectiveness.
- Thumbpulling (from the English thumb pulling - “pulling with the thumb”) is an exercise for “stretching” the upper jaw. It looks harmless, but researchers think otherwise: Thumbpulling is not only ineffective, but can also cause damage to the palate.
Hardmaxxing (from the English hard - “hard”) - more radical transformation measures: plastic surgery, injections, strict diets and medications.
In pursuit of the idea of constant self-improvement, young people can cross the line of healthy “improvement” - sometimes without even noticing it. Dangerous ideas are spreading in PSL communities. For example, that aesthetic surgery is the only way to overcome “ugliness.” And since surgeons are expensive, some choose cheaper alternatives like taking steroids or injecting cosmetic drugs from the gray market .
Extreme diets, drying, fasting
They can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, loss of muscle mass, breakdowns, overeating and other problems. There is also evidence that intermittent fasting increases the risk of developing eating disorders (EDs).
Lightening skin using aggressive cosmetics
To change the natural tone, cosmetics with aggressive ingredients are often used. Such drugs can lead to , among other things, damage to the kidneys and nervous system. Skin whitening procedures in a salon require mandatory consultation with a professional cosmetologist and are usually not carried out without indications.
Dangerous cosmetic procedures and injections without a doctor’s prescription or from unverified specialists
Self-injections of Botox, fillers, lipolytics or peptides are also very dangerous . Due to poor-quality drugs and improper administration techniques, such injections can lead to infections, tissue damage, facial deformities, and even serious complications such as botulism . And most of the peptides were tested only on animals. Their side effects are unknown.
Taking steroids (“roid-maxing”, from the English roid - a slang abbreviation of the word “steroid”), hormones and weight loss drugs with unproven effectiveness, abuse of diuretics
In recent years, anabolic steroids have become more accessible , and their use has become more widespread. These drugs are a synthetic form of the “male hormone” testosterone and make it faster and easier to gain muscle mass. But their uncontrolled use and exceeding the permissible dose can lead to serious side effects: high blood pressure, acne, heart problems, potency and fertility, hormonal imbalances, the risk of testicular cancer and depression, hair loss. The use of any drugs from the gray market, including dietary supplements for weight loss , can be very dangerous due to unproven effectiveness and unknown side effects. And using diuretics for rapid weight loss can lead to dehydration and serious complications .
Using special pumps to enlarge the penis
In medicine, their use is acceptable for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. But there is no evidence that pumps are effective for penis enlargement. Experts recommend treating these devices as potentially dangerous: if you use them incorrectly or too much, there is a risk of hurting yourself and causing difficulty in ejaculating.
Plastic surgeries: rhinoplasty, hair transplant, limb lengthening, liposuction, implant installation
Any surgical intervention (especially when contacting specialists with questionable expertise) is associated with health risks and various complications. For example, facelift surgery can lead to nerve damage , facial implants can lead to allergies , changes in skin sensitivity, muscle and vascular damage, limb lengthening can lead to deformation and the need for repeated surgeries, and hair transplant surgery can lead to infections and bleeding.
Bonsmashing (bone smashing) - “breaking bones”
Perhaps one of the most frightening practices. Luxmaxers claim that after hitting the facial bones with hard objects (usually the jaw or cheekbones) and healing microtraumas, the shape of the bones will become more “aesthetic.” This idea is based on a law formulated by the German physician Julius Wolf back in the 19th century: bones are able to adapt to the loads they are subjected to.
According to modern research, Wolf's law does not apply to being struck in the face by objects: it describes the gradual adaptation of bones to normal loads such as walking, rather than to impacts or injuries. Bonsmixing can lead to swelling, microcracks, nerve damage, and jaw injuries.
Some researchers of the subculture of incels and Luxmaxers believe that recommendations to hit yourself in the face with a hammer are often presented in an ironic form and do not imply literal repetition. However, such “advice” that is freely distributed on the Internet can still harm people who take it seriously. Recently, the bonsmixing trend has become so popular on TikTok that the platform has even introduced restrictions on the search for videos with this hashtag - as “harmful or dangerous statements.”
Chapter 2Who promotes the ideas of Luxmaxing?
The most famous bloggers in the international arena
Perhaps the most popular adherent of Luxmaxing is 20-year-old American influencer Braden Peters, known as Clavicular. Among like-minded people, his pumped-up appearance is considered the standard of male attractiveness. At the time of publication of this material, nearly a million people have subscribed to Clavicular’s tiktok .
Peters talks about how, from the age of 14, he changed his face and body, eventually achieving, as many believe, a radical transformation in appearance. And also about what advantages this supposedly gave him in relationships with women.
However, the Clavicular figure can become not only an example to follow, but also a clear warning about what can happen if you go to extreme measures for the sake of sculpted muscles. By his own admission, Peters is infertile due to abusing steroids and taking methamphetamine to suppress his appetite. And recently, during one of his streams, Peters was hospitalized due to an overdose and announced that he was quitting drugs.
In addition, several years ago the blogger was expelled from college for possession of testosterone, and recently his public appearance in the company of “misogynistic influencer” Andrew Tate and the stream during which Peters live injected fillers into his girlfriend’s face have been especially loudly discussed. In April 2026, YouTube removed Clavicular's channels for "serious or repeated violations."
Another popular figure in the world of Luxmaxing is 24-year-old Syrian-American Karim Shami . He claims that most people don't take bonsmixing seriously. Therefore, Karim himself, according to him, relies on softmaxing. In particular, it sells dietary supplements and cosmetics of its own production.
There are still many TikTokers-Luxmaxers. And all of them, one way or another, resort to risky practices: Tom Thebe, for example, does not hide the fact that he regularly injects himself with peptides and takes a number of other drugs, bojack lists in detail all the controversial substances that he uses as part of his experiments with the body, and sky films and uploads videos from a cosmetologist’s office, where he receives filler injections into his face.
What about Luxmaxing in Russia?
The most famous Russian Luxmaxer, 22-year-old Egor Denisenko, also known as Yegor Real, claims that he is engaged exclusively in softmaxing - but he actively sells his analysis of appearance.
There is also blogger Martin, who radically lost weight by resorting to taking Ozempic and hormones, and introduced the Skeleton City fashion - extreme thinness.
Although there are already thematic communities in Russian social networks, and the media, digital services and doctors are expressing concern about the trend, according to Yegor Denisenko, Luxmaxing in the CIS countries still remains a “niche phenomenon.”
Comprehensive studies of Luxmaxing have not yet been done in Russia. “But there is clinical observational data showing an increase in anxiety associated with appearance, increased fixation on the body and the spread of body dysmorphic and eating disorder-like symptoms, especially among young people and social network users,” says AST psychologist and supervisor Alexandra Citizen in a conversation with Bereg. — Russian works basically confirm the same trends as Western studies.
Chapter 3Reasons for the growing popularity of Luxmaxing and additional risks
What makes men take extreme measures to “maximize their appearance”
A combination of factors pushes young men to start practicing luxmaxing (and hardmaxing in particular). “On the one hand, this is a social environment ,” says psychologist Alexandra Grazhdan. “On the other hand, there are personal characteristics : self-doubt, anxiety, the need for control and perfectionism.”
Among the reasons for the popularity of Luxmaxing is the idea that all problems can be solved by “pumping up” your appearance . “Modern 20-year-olds have grown up in a digital environment that is built on instant gratification,” says clinical psychologist, ACT therapist, member of the ACPN and ACBS Anastasia Borisova in a conversation with Bereg. — The psyche gets used to the paradigm “if there is a problem, it should have a quick technological solution.” When a young man is faced with real life, where building a career or deep relationships requires many years of monotonous work, he gives up. Luxmaxing offers a deceptively simple cheat code : instead of spending years learning how to communicate with people, you can simply inject fillers into your jaw or go under a scalpel. This is perceived as a quick way to “hack the system.”
The idea that success in relationships and social status are determined by appearance is reinforced by the influence of social networks . Psychologist Alexandra Citizens argues that, according to modern research, men often overestimate the importance of hypermasculine traits for women. “In reality, assessing a partner is much more complex and includes communication, confidence, emotional maturity, a sense of security, and social skills,” says Alexandra Grazhdan.
However, it is appearance that becomes “a kind of social currency through which a person is assigned value, status and the right to recognition,” emphasizes Anastasia Borisova. "It doesn't matter that Musk first had power and money, and only then a new appearance. The logic is: 'improve yourself,' and you too can launch rockets into space, have children with several women and seize power," writes British writer and cultural historian Fay Bound-Alberti in an article for Time .
Experts believe that the subculture of Luxmaxers began to spread massively on social networks thanks to slang, platform algorithms, short videos, scandalousness and media coverage. Luxmaxers' ideas are gradually simplified, monetized and adapted to meme culture .
In addition, social networks have made male beauty standards more visible. "Today's 20-year-olds have become the first generation of men to face the same (if not more aggressive) bombardment of ideal bodies that women have lived with for decades. The digital environment has successfully sold men the same complexes that the beauty industry for women used to profit from," says Anastasia Borisova.
Another factor in the widespread replication of Luxmaxing ideas is money. Clavicular and other influencers make good money by first instilling feelings of inferiority in young men, and then offering themselves and their products as a solution to this problem. At the same time, the own achievements of “advanced” Luxmaxers sometimes turn out to be only an appearance - an indicative case is with the Australian influencer Androgenic, from whom the wig with his “luxurious hair” was torn off right during the stream.
In addition to all of the above, Canadian sociologists and masculinity researchers have discovered a pattern: as the traditional paths to the status of a real man - a stable job, owning a home, long-term relationships - are postponed or for some reason seem unattainable , “the body becomes the center of control - the place where you can reclaim power and shape a new vision of modern masculinity.”
As Fay Bound-Alberti points out , these processes have been accelerated by the pandemic : “Boys, stuck at home in front of screens, staring at their own faces, without the support of school, sports or real community, found something resembling a sense of belonging on the forums.”
The problem is that there is no support in this “community”. On the contrary, Luxmaxing is a brutal competition based on “the worst manifestations of physiognomic racism and eugenics , transferred to a new rhythm,” says Bound-Alberti. The “ideal appearance” that everyone strives for as part of Luxmaxing (the superiority of white skin, European facial features) reinforces dangerous racial prejudices.
Self-objectification, eating disorder, dysmorphophobia : what else is Luxmaxing dangerous for?
As Anastasia Borisova emphasizes, a number of radical measures to improve appearance intersect with objective medical indications and therefore easily find approval in society :
“For example, the indications of an orthodontist (braces, dental implants, augmentation or removal of jaw bones to correct the bite), an otolaryngologist (rhinoplasty or surgery on the nasal septum for breathing problems) or an orthopedist (surgeries on the bones for gait disorders). But in the culture of hardmaxing, the line between concern for health and the obsessive desire to “fix oneself” is gradually blurred. And then even normal appearance features begin to seem like defects requiring intervention.”
At the same time, many methods of “maximizing” appearance do not have proven effectiveness and do not take into account the individual characteristics of a particular person. Often such recommendations are presented as based on scientific facts, but advice on TikTok is given by people without medical education, whose main goal is to sell information products: courses, bots or applications . And products that offer to evaluate appearance using neural networks can themselves cause serious psychological harm to a person. Artificial intelligence is sometimes even tougher than users of Luxmaxer forums, which are famous for their rudeness.
According to the findings of researchers from Cornell University, people who turned to neural networks for Luxmaxing advice decreased their self-esteem and increased their tendency to self-objectification - when a person perceives himself as an outsider and strives to live up to certain ideals.
Just 10–15 years ago, self-objectification was mainly studied among women, says psychologist Alexandra Grazhdan. But now scientists have found that men also quite often face this problem. “Many studies show that men begin to perceive the body as an endless optimization project, and in this sense, the Luxmaxing ideology coincides well with already known psychological mechanisms,” says Alexandra Citizen.
All this can contribute to the development of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) - when there is excessive worry about non-existent or barely noticeable defects in one's appearance. “Experts describe a typical picture: a person begins to perceive the body as a project that needs to be endlessly corrected, improved, supplemented, but satisfaction does not come,” says Alexandra Grazhdan.
“Research has also linked a fixation on one’s own appearance with anxiety disorders, depression, social isolation, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and eating disorders ,” notes Alexandra Grazhdan. Moreover, eating disorders in men often manifest themselves not only as a desire to lose weight. According to Bereg’s interlocutor, men’s eating disorders are associated with drying and compulsive sports, gaining muscle mass, and the fear of looking insufficiently sculpted.
Clinical psychologist Anastasia Borisova confirms that muscle dysmorphia (also known as bigorexia) is more common in men. They may also have anorexia nervosa (when a person limits the amount of food they eat for fear of gaining weight), bulimia nervosa (cycles of overeating followed by attempts to “cleanse” the body - for example, by inducing vomiting or taking laxatives) and compulsive overeating.
“Another condition that is now being talked about a lot and which may have the same symptoms is orthorexia , the so-called pathological fixation on proper and clean eating,” adds Alexandra Grazhdan.
Chapter 4What to do if you or your loved ones are also drawn to Luxmaxing
The group most vulnerable to the ideas of “maximizing appearance” are teenagers from 13 to 18 years old, reminds psychologist Anastasia Borisova. At this age, identity is formed, and the opinions of others about appearance become especially important.
As Alexandra Grazhdan emphasizes, taking care of your appearance and striving to please yourself and others is normal. But sometimes it's hard to see when things have gone too far because dangerous behaviors can appear socially acceptable. “For example, excessive training is perceived as discipline, strict dietary restrictions are perceived as willpower, and constant work on appearance is perceived as self-development,” says Alexandra Grazhdan.
You can also understand where the normal desire to look good ends and a pathological fixation on appearance begins by looking at motivation, says psychologist Anastasia Borisova. There are “to” motivation and “from” motivation: in the first case, a person accepts his appearance and considers changes as a way to improve the quality of life or health, in the second, he perceives his current appearance as unbearable and strives to get rid of it.
If you realize that your loved one’s passion for Luxmaxing is beginning to go beyond the norm, experts advise not to ridicule him, not to argue directly with his feelings, to talk not about appearance, but about suffering and anxiety, pay attention to changes in behavior and offer help without pressure. It is especially important to sound the alarm in time if self-harmful practices have appeared, severe food restrictions have appeared, a person has started using steroids, has become socially isolated, or you notice obsessive behavior and depressive symptoms in him, says Alexandra Grazhdan. According to Anastasia Borisova, the only effective way is to “carefully but persistently refer him to a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist .”
Moreover, the more extreme the behavior becomes, the higher the risk of long-term negative consequences: injuries, pain, inflammation, problems with the cardiovascular system, chronic fatigue, anhedonia and apathy, sleep disorders, sexual and hormonal disorders, and even suicidal thoughts and intentions. Therefore, Anastasia Borisova recommends seeking help or assessment of the condition as early as possible.
Regardless of whether you notice warning signs in yourself or a loved one, further tactics will be approximately the same. Even before contacting a specialist, you can reduce the impact of triggers: limit the consumption of content related to luxmaxing. It is best to unsubscribe from all thematic public pages and “make the algorithms work for your mental security, and not against it”: actively search for, like and save content that is radically far from the topic of appearance .
It is also useful to start keeping a diary of triggers , recording situations that precede obsessive thoughts about appearance, and also to return to other interests and activities that help shift attention and reduce internal tension.
Once a person has realized the problem and asked for help, the approach depends on the situation. “If the problem is psychological, cognitive behavioral therapy is most often used. It helps to reduce the obsessive fixation [on appearance], learn to perceive your own body differently and slightly improve self-esteem,” says Alexandra Citizen. “If an eating disorder has already formed, treatment is usually more comprehensive: psychotherapy, nutrition work, sometimes psychiatric help or additional treatment for anxiety or depression.” Anastasia Borisova clarifies that sometimes drug therapy or hospital treatment may be required.
Alexandra Pisarenko