Disciplinary measures of facial exercise. Deliberate starvation. By changing the shape of the jaw or cheekbones Crush them with a hammer or chisel.
These are some of the more extreme behaviors in a practice called looksmaxing—the attempt to maximize one’s appearance at any cost—that attracted a huge following Mostly teenage boys and young men on social media. Looksmaxing has since gone from niche to mainstream Trending on TikTok in the early 2020s.
a lot Media coverage of Lookmaxing there is Focuses on the cultural dimensionsuch as Underlying this trend is misogynist ideology and its implications for Cultural conversations about masculinity. Meanwhile, looksmaxxers have achieved pop-culture status with particularly large followings of tens of thousands of people on social media platforms like TikTok and Kick.
But amid this scene, the well-being of the youth participating in this trend has been largely overlooked.
From my point of view as a Mental health professional By studying how people think and talk about emotions and mental health, behaviors associated with appearance look suspiciously like symptoms. eating disorder And body dysmorphia, also called Body dysmorphic disorder.
This disorder is Especially harmful to young people Trying to figure out who they are, what they want and how to navigate relationships – already effort Complicated by the pressure of social media.
In my view, platforming these youth and desensitizing their behavior instead of recognizing their behaviors as symptoms of psychological distress, distracts from the urgent need to address these serious mental health concerns.
A blast from the past
The lookmaxing trend repeats some troubling history.
Similar ideology emerged in the 2000sBut it was primarily adopted and popularized by young women and girls Microblogging and social networking platforms such as Tumblr and MySpace became popular Hotbeds for disordered eating advice.
User community developed Where they can share tips and encourage eating disorder-related behaviors – for example, restricting eating, vomiting or hiding weight loss from loved ones. This content is tagged “pro-ana” (pro-anorexia), “pro-mia” (pro-bulimia), or “pro-ED” (pro-eating disorder).
including the mainstream media “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2001The pro-eating disorder internet community covered the phenomenon with an air of dire concern. How online pro-eating disorder communities affect girls and young women quickly became one Areas of research for social scientists and medical professionals.
Still, it took until 2012 for Tumblr, a site particularly popular with the community, to implement a policy banning pro-eating disorder content and Warn users of the dangers of eating disorders. This is part of a larger effort by the platform to curb self-harm-related blogging.
Now, in 2026, almost all social media platforms have regularly updated policies or “community guidelines” aimed at preventing such communities from forming and instead directing users to helpful resources.
In addition to guidelines prohibiting explicit pro-eating disorder content, Instagram And tiktok There are pages dedicated to getting help for eating disorders. meta As with “Suicide, Self-Injury and Eating Disorders” there is a policy page detailing its rationale and practice. Pinterestwhich Banned all weight loss advertising in 2021 In an ongoing commitment to user security.
Underpathologizing youth
Despite widespread recognition that consuming disorder-related content is harmful to mental and physical health, lookmaxing has yet to be addressed by social media platform policies. Instead, prominent-looking Maxxers are considered Internet celebrities and Interviewed And Profiled for their approach and worldview.
The language and location used for each scene is probably a factor. “Pro-ED” refers directly to a mental health disorder. Recent research argues that Conversely, looksmaxxing is positioned as goal-oriented And that way can masquerade as self-improvement.
However, I personally consider the main difference between these movements to be gender. Looksmaxing primarily targets young men, while “pro-ED” Internet culture focuses on young women.
That is what the researchers are assuming 1 in 3 men struggle with an eating disorder. However, the traditional view that eating disorders are a girls’ and women’s illness remains in both social understanding and health care.
A 2025 analysis of published studies underscores this disparity. It was found that the obsession with thinness is still widely considered Characteristics of eating disordersAlthough it only captures one type – primarily female – of the condition. Boys and men who struggle with eating disorders and body dysmorphia are more likely to develop this disorder the leech – means achieving an “ideal” or “perfect” ratio of muscle to fat.
Even clinical screenings do a poor job of how the disorder appears in boys and young men, so it’s no wonder parents, teachers, and the media fall short of making the distinction.
Maxxing is a clinical manifestation
Viewed through an accurate clinical lens, maxoxing behaviors clearly resemble potential symptoms of eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Beginning with a sharp correction on physical flaws, the practice encourages prioritizing appearance above all else.
This mindset often leads to actions to correct these perceived flaws. In a clinical setting, mental health professionals call this type of activity Compulsory – Behaviors that seem impossible to resist – are fueled by obsessive thoughts and eventually begin to interfere with a person’s ability to live a normal, healthy life.
For example, some activities such as wearing makeup or putting on shoe lifts to appear taller are not bad in themselves and may even be beneficial if they make people more confident. But not being able to leave home or work without these corrective measures indicates a problem. Similarly, changing diet or exercise to lose fat or gain muscle may be quite healthy, but abusing amphetamines to suppress appetite – A comprehensive practice of lookmaxing – dangerous and indicates a mental health problem.
These behaviors are worth exploring because if left untreated, Body dysmorphia And eating disorder May have lifelong effects. Early detection and intervention are important, as these disorders significantly increase the risk Physical and mental health problemsincluding heart problems, permanent skin changes, gastrointestinal complications, depression and suicide.
As with all mental health concerns, how society frames a problem shapes the response. Internet platforms and researchers’ responses set a valuable precedent in Internet culture surrounding eating disorders in the 2010s. Using that paradigm to respond to what is seen not just as a cultural problem but as a clinical one can help researchers understand how eating disorders and body dysmorphia manifest differently in boys and young men.
It can help social media companies create appropriate guidelines around look-maxing content, help parents recognize warning signs, and connect struggling boys and young men with the care they need and deserve.
If you or someone you know could benefit from speaking with a specialist for male eating disorders or other mental health concerns, search the directory National Eating Disorders Association or the Men’s Mental Health Organization HeadsUpGuys.
If you or someone you know is in crisis and lives in the United States, Call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline To speak to a trained listener, or text HELLO to 741741. Both services are free, available 24/7 and confidential. If you are a reader from outside the US, please use a helpline like the one above (Psychology Today maintains a list of resources in other countries) or talk to a healthcare professional.
Jordyn ToveyClinical Social Worker, University of Michigan
Reprinted from this article the conversation Under Creative Commons license. read on Main article.
