{"id":1850804,"date":"2026-03-27T13:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T10:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1850804"},"modified":"2026-03-27T13:45:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T10:45:00","slug":"who-is-looksmaxxing-really-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1850804","title":{"rendered":"Who is looksmaxxing really for?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1023\/0-0-1023-682\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442691.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/beauty\/article\/70001\/1\/who-is-looksmaxxing-really-for-incel-culture-beauty-standards-men-misogyny\" data-article-id=\"70001\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.5\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GettyImages-143282182\" class=\"img\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1024\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442691.jpg\" width=\"1024\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">(Photo by Michael Ochs <span class=\"nowrap\">Archives\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-27T13:45:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"27 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"27\">27,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - beauty\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\">Beauty<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty-feature\">Beauty Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\">Beauty<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty-feature\">Beauty Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Who is looksmaxxing <span class=\"nowrap\">really for?<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>Looksmaxxing, a trend with its roots in incel culture, has gone mainstream among young, straight men. Who are they trying <span class=\"nowrap\">to impress?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-27T13:45:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"27 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"27\">27,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-27T13:45:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"27 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"27\">27,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/RyanCahill\">Ryan Cahill<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In 2024, I wrote <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/61817\/1\/what-s-going-on-with-male-body-image-in-2024-jeremy-allen-white-calvin-klein\"><span>an article<\/span><\/a><span> about the direction male <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/body-image\">body image<\/a> was heading. It was bleak, looking at how impressive male physiques of the 90s would now be considered average. At the time, there was an appetite for muscles that had once been reserved for superheroes and competitive body builders, but this was only an indicator of what was to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Just a few years later, and the landscape surrounding male body image is more fraught than ever. Trends and terms like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/61666\/1\/rage-against-the-machine-how-incel-culture-went-mainstream-in-2023\">looksmaxxing, mewing and mogging<\/a>, which originated in incel forums, have pushed male aesthetics to the extreme. The expectations have hit levels that feel practically unattainable. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/60474\/1\/sarms-the-fitspo-fitness-drug-steroids-young-men-gym\">Fitness enhancing drugs<\/a>, which were once only discussed in relation to competitive bodybuilders and sporting superstars, have now entered the mainstream. The misuse of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/ozempic\">GLP-1s<\/a> have triggered an obsession with minimising body fat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI have seen more media and social media attention to several different male body ideals at once: being thinner, being more muscular, being more proportionate, and, in some circles, looking more androgynous,\u201d says David Sasaki, online director for the American Institute of Boys and Men, an organisation aiming to improve the wellbeing of boys and men. While this may sound contradictory, Sasaki stresses that one thing is clear: \u201cbody dissatisfaction is bad for mental health. The specific ideal may change, but the underlying pattern is the same: when self-worth gets tied too tightly to appearance, boys and men tend to suffer for it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"a4RSNKJTeo0\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a4RSNKJTeo0\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Part of the problem is that inter-male competition has become more ferocious. On social media, there\u2019s always someone to compare yourself to, and therefore compete with. There\u2019s a never-ending content cycle of tips and tricks for how to get the perfect jawline, prevent hair loss, and achieve facial symmetry. The fact that we\u2019re seeing so many lads coming back from Turkey with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/61836\/1\/where-have-all-the-human-teeth-gone-in-defence-of-veneers-imperfect-teeth\">new teeth<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/65696\/1\/so-youre-thinking-about-getting-a-hair-transplant\">reworked hairline<\/a> isn\u2019t just to do with increased accessibility, it reflects a cultural shift where aging is presented as optional, and not fighting it is failure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We bore witness to this in Louis Theroux\u2019s recent Netflix documentary, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69908\/1\/inside-the-manosphere-the-rise-of-conservative-non-monogamy-louis-theroux\"><em><span>Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, where many of the men interviewed spoke about body image as a form of cultural currency, and procedures like jaw filler, chin surgery and Botox are considered everyday options for \u201coptimising\u201d their physical appearance. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/69974\/1\/debunking-claviculars-looksmaxxing-routine-bonesmashing-steroids-side-effects\"><span>Influencer Clavicular has endorsed<\/span><\/a><span> jaw surgery, limb lengthening surgery, testosterone, minoxidil (for his hair), Accutane (for his skin), experimental weight loss medication retatrutide, crystal meth (to hollow his cheeks) and taking a hammer to the face (\u201cbonesmashing\u201d)<\/span><span>. <\/span><span>In Ryan Murphy\u2019s recent satire of beauty and Ozempic culture, <\/span><em><span>The Beauty<\/span><\/em><span>, an incel character named Jeremy is convinced by a chat room message to see a plastic surgeon who promises to make all his dreams come true by transforming him (through drastic and expensive procedures) into a cartoonish \u201cchad\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c[The term] mogging is often used ironically, but it still reflects the same basic logic: ranking men against one another by appearance,\u201d says Sasaki. \u201cSocial media turns ordinary status competition into something more visible, more measurable, and more relentless. It puts appearance into a feedback loop of comparison and algorithmic reward.\u201d The age-old concept of sizing up other men in the locker-room showers has bled out into wider male existence. And despite <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/69773\/1\/face-raters-men-judging-hotness-looksmaxxing-forums-incels-chatrooms-selfies\"><span>an insistence that these beauty standards<\/span><\/a><span> are what is needed to attract and date women, it is more often a male gaze rather than a female one that is driving the ideals \u2013 as was seen in the gendered debate over whether <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/stephaniesoteriou\/olly-murs-responds-viral-gym-transformation-discourse\"><span>Olly Murs<\/span><\/a> looked better before or after his 12-week gym transformation<span>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7607195818772188447\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@werewolffbarmitzvah\/video\/7607195818772188447\">viral TikTok<\/a> recently suggested that the current looksmaxxing culture is \u201ctoxic muscle gay circuit party culture escaping containment and being transmitted to straight people.\u201d As a gay man, I\u2019m reluctant to suggest that straight male body ideals are a result of the gay male gaze, but it\u2019s hard to overlook the correlation. This ideology was theorised in the early 2000s, when psychologist Alan Downs suggested in his book, <em>The Velvet Rage<\/em>, that gay men use their bodies as a tool for handling toxic shame, claiming that the validation acquired through compliments about our bodies helps to distract from deeply rooted trauma. It tracks, then, that in an era where many of us feel increasingly scrutinised, surveilled, and judged on social media, that growing numbers of straight men are apparently channelling their insecurities into hyperfixating on their appearances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The problem is \u2013 there\u2019s no barometer of perfection, which means these lads will just keep toning, chisseling and injecting indefinitely. As soon as they come close to reaching this perceived body \u201cideal\u201d, it jumps further away into the distance for them to keep chasing. It\u2019s the Penrose stairs effect \u2013 there is no finish line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But realistically, where do we go from here? Will the beauty standards keep being pushed to ever more extremes<\/span><span>, or will the pendulum shift towards male body positivity? <\/span><span>Sasaki and the American Institute of Boys and Men have ideas for how we can move in the right direction. \u201cMen need more sources of esteem that are not tied to appearance, including public recognition of qualities like competence, kindness, humor, character and reliability. Men rarely receive positive, non-competitive feedback about their bodies,\u201d he surmises. \u201cMany are hungry for basic affirmation that they are acceptable just the way they are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"article-footer\">\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<div class=\"article-series\">\n<h4 class=\"heading\">More on these topics<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series\"><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\">Beauty<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty-feature\">Beauty Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/men\">Men<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/body-image\">Body Image<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/fitness\">fitness<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/gym\">gym<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/incels\">incels<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<div class=\"grid\">\n<div class=\"lava-lamp\">\n<div class=\"lava-lamp-text-container\">\n<h3 class=\"lava-lamp-subheading\">Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid section-header\">\n<div class=\"section-header__link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/70001\/1\/beauty\"><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"section-header__title\">READ MORE<\/h2>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid tag-article-list\">\n<div class=\"swiper swiper-latest\">\n<div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" 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data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Friday 13 lucky tattoos\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-417-920-612\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441524.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">A brief history of how Friday 13th became the tattoo world\u2019s Black Friday<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In 2024, I wrote <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/61817\/1\/what-s-going-on-with-male-body-image-in-2024-jeremy-allen-white-calvin-klein\"><span>an article<\/span><\/a><span> about the direction male <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/body-image\">body image<\/a> was heading. It was bleak, looking at how impressive male physiques of the 90s would now be considered average. At the time, there was an appetite for muscles that had once been reserved for superheroes and competitive body builders, but this was only an indicator of what was to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Just a few years later, and the landscape surrounding male body image is more fraught than ever. Trends and terms like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/61666\/1\/rage-against-the-machine-how-incel-culture-went-mainstream-in-2023\">looksmaxxing, mewing and mogging<\/a>, which originated in incel forums, have pushed male aesthetics to the extreme. The expectations have hit levels that feel practically unattainable. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/60474\/1\/sarms-the-fitspo-fitness-drug-steroids-young-men-gym\">Fitness enhancing drugs<\/a>, which were once only discussed in relation to competitive bodybuilders and sporting superstars, have now entered the mainstream. The misuse of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/ozempic\">GLP-1s<\/a> have triggered an obsession with minimising body fat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI have seen more media and social media attention to several different male body ideals at once: being thinner, being more muscular, being more proportionate, and, in some circles, looking more androgynous,\u201d says David Sasaki, online director for the American Institute of Boys and Men, an organisation aiming to improve the wellbeing of boys and men. While this may sound contradictory, Sasaki stresses that one thing is clear: \u201cbody dissatisfaction is bad for mental health. The specific ideal may change, but the underlying pattern is the same: when self-worth gets tied too tightly to appearance, boys and men tend to suffer for it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"a4RSNKJTeo0\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a4RSNKJTeo0\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Part of the problem is that inter-male competition has become more ferocious. On social media, there\u2019s always someone to compare yourself to, and therefore compete with. There\u2019s a never-ending content cycle of tips and tricks for how to get the perfect jawline, prevent hair loss, and achieve facial symmetry. The fact that we\u2019re seeing so many lads coming back from Turkey with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/61836\/1\/where-have-all-the-human-teeth-gone-in-defence-of-veneers-imperfect-teeth\">new teeth<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/65696\/1\/so-youre-thinking-about-getting-a-hair-transplant\">reworked hairline<\/a> isn\u2019t just to do with increased accessibility, it reflects a cultural shift where aging is presented as optional, and not fighting it is failure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We bore witness to this in Louis Theroux\u2019s recent Netflix documentary, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69908\/1\/inside-the-manosphere-the-rise-of-conservative-non-monogamy-louis-theroux\"><em><span>Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, where many of the men interviewed spoke about body image as a form of cultural currency, and procedures like jaw filler, chin surgery and Botox are considered everyday options for \u201coptimising\u201d their physical appearance. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/69974\/1\/debunking-claviculars-looksmaxxing-routine-bonesmashing-steroids-side-effects\"><span>Influencer Clavicular has endorsed<\/span><\/a><span> jaw surgery, limb lengthening surgery, testosterone, minoxidil (for his hair), Accutane (for his skin), experimental weight loss medication retatrutide, crystal meth (to hollow his cheeks) and taking a hammer to the face (\u201cbonesmashing\u201d)<\/span><span>. <\/span><span>In Ryan Murphy\u2019s recent satire of beauty and Ozempic culture, <\/span><em><span>The Beauty<\/span><\/em><span>, an incel character named Jeremy is convinced by a chat room message to see a plastic surgeon who promises to make all his dreams come true by transforming him (through drastic and expensive procedures) into a cartoonish \u201cchad\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c[The term] mogging is often used ironically, but it still reflects the same basic logic: ranking men against one another by appearance,\u201d says Sasaki. \u201cSocial media turns ordinary status competition into something more visible, more measurable, and more relentless. It puts appearance into a feedback loop of comparison and algorithmic reward.\u201d The age-old concept of sizing up other men in the locker-room showers has bled out into wider male existence. And despite <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/69773\/1\/face-raters-men-judging-hotness-looksmaxxing-forums-incels-chatrooms-selfies\"><span>an insistence that these beauty standards<\/span><\/a><span> are what is needed to attract and date women, it is more often a male gaze rather than a female one that is driving the ideals \u2013 as was seen in the gendered debate over whether <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeed.com\/stephaniesoteriou\/olly-murs-responds-viral-gym-transformation-discourse\"><span>Olly Murs<\/span><\/a> looked better before or after his 12-week gym transformation<span>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7607195818772188447\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@werewolffbarmitzvah\/video\/7607195818772188447\">viral TikTok<\/a> recently suggested that the current looksmaxxing culture is \u201ctoxic muscle gay circuit party culture escaping containment and being transmitted to straight people.\u201d As a gay man, I\u2019m reluctant to suggest that straight male body ideals are a result of the gay male gaze, but it\u2019s hard to overlook the correlation. This ideology was theorised in the early 2000s, when psychologist Alan Downs suggested in his book, <em>The Velvet Rage<\/em>, that gay men use their bodies as a tool for handling toxic shame, claiming that the validation acquired through compliments about our bodies helps to distract from deeply rooted trauma. It tracks, then, that in an era where many of us feel increasingly scrutinised, surveilled, and judged on social media, that growing numbers of straight men are apparently channelling their insecurities into hyperfixating on their appearances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The problem is \u2013 there\u2019s no barometer of perfection, which means these lads will just keep toning, chisseling and injecting indefinitely. As soon as they come close to reaching this perceived body \u201cideal\u201d, it jumps further away into the distance for them to keep chasing. It\u2019s the Penrose stairs effect \u2013 there is no finish line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But realistically, where do we go from here? Will the beauty standards keep being pushed to ever more extremes<\/span><span>, or will the pendulum shift towards male body positivity? <\/span><span>Sasaki and the American Institute of Boys and Men have ideas for how we can move in the right direction. \u201cMen need more sources of esteem that are not tied to appearance, including public recognition of qualities like competence, kindness, humor, character and reliability. Men rarely receive positive, non-competitive feedback about their bodies,\u201d he surmises. \u201cMany are hungry for basic affirmation that they are acceptable just the way they are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/70001\/1\/who-is-looksmaxxing-really-for-incel-culture-beauty-standards-men-misogyny&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1023\/0-0-1023-682\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442691.jpg&#8221;] (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images) March\u00a0 27,\u00a0 2026 Beauty \/ Beauty Feature Beauty \/ Beauty Feature Who is looksmaxxing really for? Looksmaxxing, a trend with its roots in incel culture, has gone mainstream among young, straight men. Who are they trying to impress? March\u00a0 27,\u00a0 2026 March\u00a0 27,\u00a0 2026 TextRyan Cahill [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1850804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1850804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1850804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1850804\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1850804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1850804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1850804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}