For decades, social and cultural trends have focused heavily on women’s looks, so females still report higher overall levels of body dissatisfaction, with many feeling pressured to meet thin, often unattainable beauty standards. Newer research, however, points to a fast‑emerging trend of rising body‑image anxiety among men in the social‑media generation, with surveys in places like the UK and Australia finding that roughly 20–45% of males report significant dissatisfaction and a strong drive to look more muscular and lean.
Social media looksmaxxer is breaking his maxilla in half with an appliance and expanding it with a wrench
— hexumlite (@hexumlite) May 27, 2026
He filmed and posted a video of himself making the first turn today.
What has gotten into people’s minds??
Should people be trying to improve their life or looks? pic.twitter.com/Wna37dLp2p
The phenomenon is called looksmaxxing, which is basically an online self‑improvement trend where (mostly) young men try to “maximize” how attractive they are. In simple terms, it’s all about changing your looks as much as possible to get closer to a certain idea of the “perfect” face and body.
Yes, social platforms are a major driver of these trends: men who spend more time on image‑heavy feeds tend to report more negative feelings about their appearance and a greater need for muscularity.
Looksmaxxing streamer Clavicular told Arman Tsarukyan he'd have a better shot at a title fight if he was better looking 💀
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 2, 2026
🗣️ Clav: "You would probably be able to get more title fights the better looking you were."
🗣️ Arman: "Now I'm gonna do botox to get my title fight. That's… pic.twitter.com/2C2h146KYf
As a result, experts warn that newer body‑modification trends such as “looksmaxxing” are contributing to eating problems, steroid use, and compulsive body‑checking among some boys, closely mirroring long‑standing patterns seen in young women.
Full looksmaxxing transformation
— Loud Outside (@LoudOutside) June 5, 2026
Is this even worth it? pic.twitter.com/XiaCbGEr8X
So while girls and women have historically faced the brunt of appearance‑related expectations, the emerging trend is that boys and young men are increasingly exposed to similar pressures and related mental‑health risks tied to how they look.
Are you a parent of a teenage male? If so, have you noticed this trend?
Day 30/365 Looksmaxxing pic.twitter.com/XKrTqhPa0C
— Joseph Everett (WIL) (@JEverettLearned) May 28, 2026
