<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At face value, a trend encouraging young men to take care of their physical appearance and maximise their self-worth appears harmless - even positive - but the fast-growing looksmaxxing trend has a very dark side, experts warn.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>So what is it, and why are some </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/health" rel="" target="" title="health"><span>health</span></a><span> professionals calling it "terrifying"?</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>What is looksmaxxing?</span></h2></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Looksmaxxing has re-emerged on social media platforms like Reddit, Instagram and TikTok as a trend by men seeking to improve their physical appearance.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The methods used to maximise appearance are split into two categories: "softmaxxing" and "hardmaxxing".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>Have you got a story? Contact</span></strong></em><span> </span><strong><em><span>reporter Joseph Sahyoun at</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="http://joseph.sahyoun@nine.com.au" rel="" target="" title="joseph.sahyoun@nine.com.au"><strong><em><span>joseph.sahyoun@nine.com.au</span></em></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Softmaxxing</span></h3></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/looksmaxxing-trend-what-it-is-hidden-dangers-for-young-men-everything-to-know-explained/9716facc-5b9e-437d-8be2-ecac03743ee5" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>'Softmaxxing' is essentially the first stage of looksmaxxing that comprises basic hygiene and a healthy lifestyle.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Skincare routines, eating healthily and exercising are considered softmaxxing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Some less-proven methods are also popular, such as the bizarre trend of "mewing" - the act of holding the tongue against the roof of the mouth to create a prominent jawline and align </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/teeth" rel="" target="" title="teeth"><span>teeth</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This popular technique has no </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/science" rel="" target="" title="scientific"><span>scientific</span></a><span> proof of being beneficial.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>Hardmaxxing</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>'Hardmaxxing' is where methods become physically demanding and permanent.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It aims to maximise appearance by any means, including Botox and implants, or even removing ribs for a sculpted waist.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The most infamous hardmaxxing method is "bonesmashing".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This is the practice of repeatedly hitting the face with a blunt object to supposedly enlarge bones and redefine the skull structure to appear more masculine.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There is no scientific evidence to support this claim.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The term "starvemaxxing" has also been coined to describe extreme </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/weight-loss" rel="" target="" title="dieting"><span>dieting</span></a><span> so that cheekbones look hollow and the facial structure becomes sculpted.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Extreme dieting carries many serious health risks, including metabolic damage, nutrient deficiencies, fatigue and mental health issues.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A number of 'Looksmaxxing' forums seen by nine.com.au focus heavily on steroid use to build muscle size, and allow members to provide anecdotal and unsubstantiated medical advice.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Healthy Male is an Australian organisation that aims to provide accessible information on male health, particularly surrounding the physical side.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Health Content Manager at Healthy Male, Associate Professor Tim Moss, told nine.com.au he first discovered the term looksmaxxing while researching body image disorders in males and said steroids carry major health risks.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If you take testosterone or synthetic versions of things that are like testosterone, then you shut down production of testosterone in the testes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"When I first stumbled upon looksmaxxing, it was terrifying.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The fact that young men will take such severe actions to change their appearance to try to appeal to others is scary to me."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Researcher at the Movember Institute of </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/mental-health" rel="" target="" title="Mental Health"><span>Mental Health</span></a><span>, Dr Krista Fisher, also warned of the lack of research surrounding the use of unapproved </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/drugs" rel="" target="" title="drugs"><span>drugs</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're seeing a massive rise in non-FDA and non-TGA-approved peptide use and surgical intervention, which have the potential to impact young men's health for the entirety of their life," she told nine.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>Where did the trend start?</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The trend has been around since the early 2010s, with forums across the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/internet" rel="" target="" title="internet"><span>internet</span></a><span> for people looking to optimise their physical appearance.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Members in these communities send images of themselves for others to critique and rate, providing advice on how to improve their appearance.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A rating system known as the proportion, size, lineation (PSL) scale is used to determine the facial attractiveness and "sexual market value".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The maximum rating a person can achieve is an eight, deeming them a "chad", whilst a zero categorises them as "subhuman" and ultimately, undesirable.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I can't imagine why you would go there and open yourself up to that sort of stuff," Moss said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>University of </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/sydney" rel="" target="" title="Sydney"><span>Sydney</span></a><span> post-doctoral researcher and clinical psychologist, Scott Fatt, told nine.com.au that aspects of the trend draw close relation to body dysmorphic disorder.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There's a strong focus on paying really close attention to detail, and this idea of obsessing about numbers, and you should be checking your progress obsessively," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"That is a pretty key trait in body dysmorphic disorder."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>So-call black pill ideologies frequent these forums - the belief that </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/romance" rel="" target="" title="romantic relationships"><span>romantic relationships</span></a><span> are a rigged system based on a hierarchy that favours attractive men.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>The online harms of looksmaxxing</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While these forums are still active today, looksmaxxing influencers have gained notoriety on </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/social-media/5" rel="" target="" title="social media"><span>social media</span></a><span> platforms such as </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/tiktok" rel="" target="" title="TikTok"><span>TikTok</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/instagram" rel="" target="" title="Instagram"><span>Instagram</span></a><span>, bringing in a new, younger audience.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The 'looksmaxxer' at the forefront of the trend, Clavicular, has more than 400,000 Instagram followers and told </span><em><span>The New York Times</span></em><span> he makes more than $100,000 a month streaming on Kick, helping push the trend further into the public eye.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Clavicular (was) on the front of </span><em><span>GQ magazine</span></em><span> and walking in fashion shows, it's definitely become more of a pop culture phenomenon rather than something that just exists in fringe spaces online," Fisher added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Now what we're seeing is this passive consumption of content.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If you're a young guy and sign up for a TikTok account, there has been research that has shown that within 30 seconds, you are going to be pushed content that is misogynistic, has drug, youth-related themes, or suicide and self-harm themes."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/phones" rel="" target="" title="Mobile phone"><span>Mobile phone</span></a><span> apps that claim to rank attractiveness by uploading a single image of yourself using </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/artificial-intelligence" rel="" target="" title="artificial intelligence"><span>artificial intelligence</span></a><span> have also begun to flood mobile stores.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Fisher says looksmaxxers who offer courses to impressionable teens are targeting a young and "insecure" audience.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They're not only financially taking advantage of these young people, but what it's also creating is this significant amount of shame and secrecy."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Even if it does change one's physical appearance, it doesn't really fix or alleviate the root of the issue, like body image concerns, low self-esteem and self-worth," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue.</span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero 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