Apparently, looksmaxxing has become an online subculture fad that considers itself a form of self-improvement but actually is more like a cult for young, impressionable men still forming their identity and the high chieftain of this cult is a twenty something Tik Tok sensation who has his own oddities and affectation. Meet Clavicular, real name Braden Peters, who has become the face of “looksmaxxing,” an internet sensation who seems to have developed it into a religion or at least a belief systems — he teaches boys that their self-worth is about their appearance and that it is visible, measurable, and correctable through altering that physical appearances. Plastic surgery anyone? So for the novice and those without deep pockets, looksmaxxing might resemble rather conventional self-care: skincare routines, time at the gym with a trainer, grooming helps, and such. But take it further and it enters the dark world of hormone (especially testosterone) injections, unregulated peptides, and pseudosciences such as “bone-smashing,” which is an attempt to shape facial bones by repeatedly striking the face with blunt objects. I told you truth was stranger than fiction.
Looksmaxxing teaches boys to measure their worth by appearance, to distrust their bodies as they are and to treat them as a canvas for improvement, and to see masculinity as an external self-improvement toward an impossible goal. You want to know what happens when dating, marriage, having children, working to support a family, and providing for those you love at some cost to yourself disappears. Looksmaxxing. That is what happens. In a desperate pursuit of meaning and purpose, our boys are turning inward but only as shallow as appearance. Are we concerned? It used to be an unkept boy in sweat pants and a tee shirt living in his parent's basement, stealing their internet, and living for video games but it has become now a crazy pursuit of an aesthetic ideal of appearance without concern for the cost in money or to the body and self-esteem. Crazy is too small a word for this. Braden Peters is making something like $100K per month doing content that is not quite erotic but certainly has an erotic sense to it and is cashing in on the move to make yourself the ideal. But for whom? Not for wife or children or work or even play. Not for the greater community but only really for self and those who fawn over your self. Wow. That is just plain crazy.
For a generation of men increasingly either disinterest in or disillusioned with dating, status, career, and social mobility, why are we surprised that they are seeking comfort and solace in the mirror? Can we offer them something more than a Christianized version of their vice? I hope so. This is exactly why raising up boys to be men is a cause within the Church but also for the sake of the world. Think about it. What can we do to rescue our boys from their worst selves (which was once drugs and alcohol)? What can we challenge them to become?
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There has always been a continuous roll out of fashionable trends, fad diets, self improvement programs, and health innovations designed to increase one’s attractiveness and popularity, as well as enhance health and longevity. Especially today, with social media, innovative fads are promoted which incorporate new technological advances, vitamin supplements, exotic herbs and untold concoctions. Still, the human body decays. That the days of our lives are numbered still remains in effect. God has the final word. It does not mean we ought not be good stewards of our bodies, eat moderately, exercise, and strive to live healthy lives, but it seems to me that the best we can do will only prolong the inevitable. As I look at my past, even up to age 50, I worked out with weights, lifting 50 pound weights with each hand routinely during my workouts. Now, at 81, I have to stick to brief workouts with 10 pound weights, as my muscles have aged and weakened along with back problems, and my family doctor said the ligaments in one’s arms can be easily injured and painfully stretched. The body ages despite peptides, protein drinks, vitamins. Your heart is laboring more, while cholesterol from too many cheeseburgers and too many days spent sitting on the porch will eventually restrict your circulation. Your skin thins out. You bruise more easily. You heal more slowly. Your digestion is more sluggish. You need stronger eyeglasses. Too much sun exposure during youthful days on the beach present little pre-cancerous dots on your forehead thirty years later. Our brains, overloaded with sugary foods, are affected as well. We begin to experience memory issues and focus. Oh, but one might say, we just need to buy some Prevagen? We wear out over time, even as we convince ourselves that doing certain things may help us reach a hundred years old. We disregard the statistics that tell us maybe one out of a few thousand can reach old age before an accident, injury, traumatic event or disease brings them solemnly to the grave. Perhaps, we might pay more attention to our souls, and spend less time and money on the body. The earthly vessel of our mortal bodies are finite, while our souls are infinite. Take care of your health, by all means, but the important thing is your soul. That is God’s plan, but thankfully He promised a new body in time as well. Soli Deo Gloria
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