Punishing systems for facial exercises. Deliberately ravenous. Reshaping the jaw or cheekbones Break them with a hammer or chisel.
These are a number of the most extreme behaviors of a practice generally known as looksmaxxing – trying to maximise one’s looks in any respect costs – is Attracts a huge following Mostly teenage boys and young men on social media. Looksmaxxing has since gone from area of interest to mainstream. Trending on TikTok in the early 2020s.
Mostly Media coverage of looksmaxxing is Focused on cultural dimensions.like The basis of this phenomenon misogynist ideology and its effects Cultural discourses about masculinity. Meanwhile, looksmaxxers have achieved popular culture status, with a very large following of tens of millions on social media platforms like TikTok and Kik.
But amidst this spectacle, the goodwill of the young individuals who take part in this trend has been largely neglected.
From my perspective as one Mental health professionals In studying how people think and speak about emotions and mental health, behaviors related to appearance look suspiciously like symptoms. Eating disorders and body dysmorphia, also generally known as body dysmorphic disorder.
These are disorders. Especially harmful to young people Who are within the strategy of determining who they’re, what they need and tips on how to navigate relationships – efforts already complicated by the pressures of social media.
In my view, platforming these young people and sensationalizing their behavior, moderately than recognizing these behaviors as symptoms of psychological distress, distracts from the urgent need to deal with these serious mental health concerns.
A blast from the past
The luxury-maxing trend repeats some troubling history.
Same idea emerged in the 2000s.however it was mainly accepted and popularized by young women and girls. Microblogging and social networking platforms similar to Tumblr and MySpace became popular. Hotbeds for advice on disordered eating.
Users have developed communities. Where they will share cues and encourage eating disorder-related behavior – for instance, restricting food, vomiting or hiding weight reduction from family members. This content was tagged “pro-ana” (pro-anorexia), “pro-mia” (pro-bulimia), or “pro-ED” (pro-eating disorder).
Mainstream media incl “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2001covered the trend of pro-eating disorder web communities with an air of deep concern. Exploring how online pro-eating disorder communities affected girls and young women quickly became one. A field of research for social scientists and medical professionals.
Still, Tumblr, a very popular site for these communities, took until 2012 to implement a policy banning pro-eating disorder content. Educate consumers about the dangers of eating disorders.. This was part of a bigger effort by the platform to curb self-harm blogging.
Now, in 2026, nearly all social media platforms have recurrently updated policies or “community guidelines” aimed toward stopping such communities from forming and as a substitute directing users to helpful resources.
In addition to guidelines that prohibit explicit content of eating disorders, Instagram And TikTok There are pages dedicated to getting help for eating disorders. Meta It has a policy page detailing its rationale and practice on “suicide, self-injury and eating disorders” – as Pinterestwhatever All weight loss advertising banned in 2021. In an ongoing commitment to consumer safety.
Under-pathologizing youth
Despite the widespread recognition that consuming disruptive content is harmful to mental and physical health, look-maxing has yet to be addressed through social media platform policies. Instead, standouts are treated like Internet celebrities. The interview has been done And Profile for their methods and world view.
The language and positioning used for every scenario is probably going an element. “Pro-ED” refers on to mental health disorders. Recent research proves this point. looksmaxxing, in contrast, is positioned as goal-oriented. And thus can pretend as self-improvement.
Still, I personally see the foremost difference between these movements as gender. Looksmaxxing is primarily aimed toward young men, while the “pro-ED” web culture is centered around young women.
Researchers estimate that 1 in 3 people who struggle with an eating disorder are men.. However, the standard view that eating disorders are girls’ and ladies’s diseases is skewed in each social understanding and health care.
Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images
A 2025 evaluation of published studies highlighted this discrepancy. He found that the obsession with thinness remains to be widely understood. Symptoms of an eating disorderAlthough this only captures one kind of condition – mainly women – Boys and men who struggle with eating disorders and body dysmorphia usually tend to be fixated. Leanness – i.e. achieving the “ideal” or “perfect” ratio of muscle to fat.
Given that clinical screening also does a poor job of accounting for a way the disorder manifests in boys and young men, it will not be surprising that oldsters, teachers and the media are also less capable of make the excellence.
A clinical tech looks maxxing
Viewed through an accurate clinical lens, binge eating behaviors clearly resemble potential symptoms of eating disorders and body dysregulation. Beginning with intense correction of physical imperfections, the practice encourages prioritizing appearance above all else.
This mindset often results in initiatives to deal with these perceived shortcomings. In a clinical setting, mental health professionals discuss with such actions as: Constraints – Behaviors that feel inconceivable to withstand – arise from obsessive thoughts and eventually begin to interfere with an individual’s ability to live a standard, healthy life.
For example, some things like wearing makeup or wearing shoe lifts to look taller should not bad in themselves, and should even be helpful in the event that they make people feel more confident. But not leaving home or work without these corrective measures indicates an issue. Similarly, altering food regimen or exercise to lose fat or gain muscle could also be healthy enough, but abusing amphetamines to suppress appetite. An extensive practice in mixing looks – is dangerous and indicates a mental health problem.
These behaviors deserve research because if left untreated, Body dysmorphia And Eating disorders Can have lifelong effects. Early detection and intervention are key, as these disorders significantly increase risk. Physical and mental health problemsincluding heart problems, lasting skin changes, gastrointestinal complications, depression and suicide.
As with all mental health concerns, how society frames an issue shapes its response. The response of Internet platforms and researchers to the Internet culture surrounding eating disorders within the 2010s set a priceless precedent. Using this paradigm to reply what’s seen not only as a cultural problem but as a medical problem may help researchers understand how eating disorders and body image disorders manifest in a different way in boys and young men.
It could also push social media corporations to develop appropriate guidelines concerning the content they see, help parents recognize warning signs and connect struggling boys and young men with the care they need and deserve.