by Shalya Leach

In the digital age, insecurity has turned into a business. For years, this business primarily catered to women. Now, however, a new trend from the manosphere called "looksmaxxing" is showing a troubling overlap; young men are putting themselves through the same grueling physical routines that women have endured for generations, yet society has treated the symptoms with understanding rather than criticism.  While looksmaxxing is presented as a journey of self-improvement or a way to survive socially, the truth is that it masks a mental health crisis in gym clothes and surgical tape.  

At its core, looksmaxxing has two main categories: “softmaxxing” (skincare, gym training, mewing, grooming) and “hardmaxxing” (plastic surgery, cosmetic procedures, and drug treatments). Though softmaxxing seems harmless, its culture is based on a toxic idea that your body is the only factor affecting your life's outcomes. The damage it causes is often unseen.  

First, there's the loss of identity. Looksmaxxing culture reduces the self to a checklist of body measurements. Followers fixate on “canthal tilt” (the angle of the eyes), “zygomatic bone prominence,” and “jaw recession” with a clinical detachment that turns normal human differences into flaws that need fixing. What was once a face is now just a set of perceived imperfections to be corrected.  

Second, there’s the physical risk of hardmaxxing. Young men, often in their late teens and early twenties, seek procedures like blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), chin implants, and dangerous “leg-lengthening” surgeries. This last procedure involves breaking the femurs and slowly stretching them over several months, risking permanent disability just to gain a few inches in height. The acceptance of these extreme measures shows a lost sense of perspective, similar to body dysmorphia.  

Third, there's the financial and emotional cost. Chasing the “hyper-masculine” ideal (a strong jaw, broad shoulders, and hollow cheeks) often leads to the misuse of anabolic steroids, disguised as “testosterone optimization.” This can cause long-term heart damage, hormonal issues, and serious mood problems.  

If this sounds familiar, it’s because women have been living this reality for centuries. The similarities between looksmaxxing and traditional feminine beauty standards are shocking, yet they are often ignored by the communities promoting the latter.  

Women have long been sold the idea that their worth is tied to their appearance—that having a smaller nose, smoother skin, or fuller lips is the secret to happiness. Looksmaxxing just repackages this idea for men. It commercializes male insecurity, selling jaw exercisers, hair transplant surgeries, and costly “osteotomies” (jaw surgery) to a group that was previously told just to “be confident.”  

Just as women were historically pressured to fit an impossible mold (thin yet curvy, natural but made-up), looksmaxxing culture pushes a single, uniform male ideal: the “Giga Chad” archetype. This look is genetically unattainable for most men without surgery. Striving for this narrow standard leads to the same feelings of inadequacy that women have experienced for years.  

Women face a “double bind”—if they wear makeup, they’re seen as misleading; if they don’t, they look “sick” or “unprofessional.” Men in looksmaxxing spaces encounter a similar contradiction. They are told to push for constant improvement, yet they must keep up the facade that their results are “natural” or just efforts from “hard work.” Admitting to using fillers or surgery often draws criticism for “cheating.”  

Despite these clear parallels, the way society views looksmaxxing compared to traditional beauty standards shows a frustrating cultural double standard.  When women engage in extreme beauty practices, they face criticism as victims of systemic oppression. When men do it, it's seen as a reasonable reaction to societal pressures.  

When women spend vast sums on makeup, fillers, and shapewear, mainstream conversations rightly address the patriarchal systems that drive these choices. We recognize it as a societal issue; however, when men invest heavily in jaw surgery, steroids, and leg-lengthening, the discussion changes, it’s often framed with sympathy as a “loneliness epidemic” or a “mental health crisis.” Commentators look at the rise of looksmaxxing and suggest that it reflects a sense of powerlessness in men, viewing the behavior as a response to external stressors (like dating apps or financial difficulties) rather than as a symptom of a deeply rooted, misogynistic belief system that values people based on appearances.  

Additionally, there is a noticeable absence of feminist critique in these spaces. Looksmaxxing communities often use the language of self-improvement while harboring disdain for the very gender that led the charge against unrealistic beauty standards. They see the “looksmax” as a way to boost “sexual market value” to dominate women, failing to see the irony in becoming slaves to the same cosmetic industry they claim to reject.  

Looksmaxxing is not a breakthrough in male self-improvement; it’s a step backward. It incorporates the most oppressive aspects of feminine beauty standards—the objectification, the constant self-monitoring, the surgical dangers—while stripping away the feminist perspective that sought to free people from those ideals.  

To combat the harms of looksmaxxing, we need to stop viewing it as a harmless mindset or a quirky internet trend. We must acknowledge it for what it truly is: a sign of a society that tells everyone, regardless of gender, that their natural body falls short. The way forward isn’t about helping men “maximize” their looks more effectively but about dismantling the oppressive standards that tell them they need to.