Looksmaxxing, the online obsession with “hacking” one's appearance to achieve supposed “alpha” status (by nothing but looks, apparently), represents one of the most misguided trends afflicting young men today.
Not a single “great man” in all of history, not one, was considered great because of his looks. No hero ever saved the day because of his looks.
Emerging from incel forums in the late 2010s, looksmaxxing has ballooned into a TikTok (a CCP app to begin with) and Kick phenomenon, where figures like Braden Peters, who goes online by "Clavicular," promote extreme measures as “gateways to power and respect,” but to every normal man, look like weirdos who may have brain damage.
His chosen name means "of or relating to the collarbone." That's the best he could do.
This movement's core stupidity lies in its rejection of merit, health, and genuine strength both physical and mental, favoring instead pseudoscientific rituals and trying to get a highscore on "looks." In the way it takes something self-destructive and backwards to the extreme, it's just like DEI, or the trans agenda. It’s taking something to the max in the worst possible ways, with no real benefit, under the guise of some kind of “progress.”
He also hates all women like Nick Fuentes, and seems to avoid them in favor of men...
Clavicular's followers, treating his self-harm and drug-fueled antics as gospel, miss the irony that he has become a global punchline, his legal troubles and bizarre interviews underscoring the farce. Real attractiveness does not come from shattering bones or doing meth, and no serious role in society should hinge on looks alone.
What starts as "self-improvement" often spirals into body dysmorphia, muscle dysmorphia ("bigorexia"), chronic self-loathing, anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation. Communities regularly body-shame participants brutally (calling faces "grotesque" etc.) and sometimes encourage self-harm or suicide when someone can't "ascend."
It pushes the delusional idea that attractiveness is almost entirely "objective" and can be perfectly quantified (PSL ratings, golden ratios, hunter eyes vs. prey eyes, etc.).
Reality: attraction is heavily subjective, cultural, contextual, personality-driven, and changes with confidence/vibe/social proof. Obsessing over 0.1 mm asymmetries or canthal tilts is a waste of life when most people pair/date/marry way outside any supposed "objective" ideal.
Extreme focus on looks turns you into a self-objectifying robot chasing external validation. Your entire sense of worth gets tied to a number, a jaw angle, or a "sexual market value" score. That mindset corrodes genuine self-respect and makes real relationships harder. People sense the desperation and insecurity.
At its foundation, looksmaxxing divides into "softmaxxing" (basic hygiene, fitness, and style) and "hardmaxxing," the perilous realm of surgeries, steroids, and "DIY" insanity like bone-smashing (Clavicular claims to have broken his face repeatedly with a hammer, on purpose).
Devotees fixate on arcane metrics such as forward growth, hunter eyes, and clavicle (collarbone) span, scoring faces and using the gayest terms ever conceived, terms like "mogging," to denote what they think is “visual dominance.” Platforms buzz with ratings, transformations, and harsh critiques, but the philosophy crumbles quickly under the scrutiny of anyone capable of logical thought.
Hours/days/years spent researching ratios, staring in mirrors, saving for risky surgeries, doing 10,000 chewing reps, or doom-scrolling forums could go toward skills, hobbies, friendships, career, actual personality development, or just enjoying life. Many end up more isolated and miserable despite minor "gains."
Take bone-smashing. Doctors say it just gives you broken bones, nerve damage, and a messed-up face. Clavicular was just making it up as he went, hoping it would make him look better. How much self-loathing and brain damage does it take to smash your own face for attention, then call yourself an “alpha?”
“Mewing,” another staple, claims that tongue posture sculpts the jaw, but studies show minimal impact. Most of it is in these people’s heads.
Clavicular says he started using steroids at 14. That means risking infertility, organ failure, and dying young. All for a few “gains” that turn into regrets like permanently turned-off testicles, a weak heart, and backne (back acne). And after six years of this, he still looks like he’s never seen a gym in his life.
The 20-year-old from Connecticut, now in Miami, was expelled from Sacred Heart University in 2024 after steroids were found in his dorm.
His content, amassing hundreds of thousands of TikTok followers (mostly kids, possibly a large portion of bot accounts as well), includes measuring his height obsessively and pushing methamphetamine for “leanness.”
In a December 2025 interview with Michael Knowles on The Daily Wire, Clavicular dismissed actress Sydney Sweeney (who most of the world considers attractive) as "malformed" due to "recessed upper maxilla" and "eyes of doom," while labeling Vice President JD Vance "subhuman" for his profile and weight.
Clavicular (Braden) said he much prefers Communist China’s friend in California, Governor Gavin Newsom, solely for "mogging" appeal. He went on about how attractive he finds Newsom. Meanwhile, Vance, for all his flaws, could still beat both of them (Peters and Newscum) in a fight, probably at the same time.
Michael Knowles, stunned, highlighted the absurdity in Clav’s claims, but Clavicular doubled down, seeming not to understand any of the concepts or realities Knowles brought up, revealing a worldview where (twisted) aesthetics are the only thing a young guy like him can think about.
Knowles played along and let the infamous “Clavicular” keep talking and saying crazier things as he went. The sad thing is, Braden doesn't seem like an idiot, but he's been sucked into something that makes no sense and it's become his entire life.
He made some decent points on things like relationships but then offered a ridiculous "solutions" focused on "mogging."
The shallow take exposes looksmaxxing's nihilism, what it really is deep down; it’s really about their own self-hatred, lack of skills, and looking for anything to give them a boost “in society” without having to work or learn, and something to make them "feel better about themselves" prioritizing vanity over substance, and simultaneously saying “nothing matters.”
On February 8, 2026, Scottsdale police arrested him at Casa Amigos nightclub.
According to court documents, bike patrol officers spotted Braden Peters (Clavicular) wandering Old Town Scottsdale just before midnight, trailed by a crowd and cameras. He tried to get into Cake Nightclub but left when he was turned away.
Peters then slipped around the corner to Casa Amigos, where staff let him inside. Officers, fully aware he was only 20, told the club to kick him out. After he was escorted out, Peters showed officers an ID confirming he was under 21. He was handcuffed and taken into custody around 11:20pm.
During the arrest, police found a fraudulent ID that falsely indicated Peters was over 21 in his wallet and two loose prescription pills in his pocket. Police identified one pill as Adderall, a stimulant for treating ADHD that contains amphetamines, and the other as Anavar, an anabolic steroid. Peters did not have a prescription for either drug.
Peters was released without bail on his own recognizance after his initial court appearance, although a prosecutor asked for a monetary bond for the Florida resident.
“It’s so funny,” he said on the livestream. “I was inside of lockup with other people who had the exact same charge. They were let go immediately with no charges." Which means police are scooping up underage kids trying to get into bars and clubs, not charging them, and letting them go to do it again.
The movement's devotees compound the idiocy, defending Clavicular blindly while praising the mockery that is looksmaxxing.
X memes roast him. Comments like "Clavicular is the most insecure person ever, dragging others down" flood his posts, yet fans persist, proving the cult-like grip the “movement” has on so many young guys.
Yes, often beautiful people often receive advantages in life, from better job opportunities to social favors, but that reality offers no excuse for self-mutilation or focusing only on looks for the rest of your life, while never learning anything real, never gaining skills.
Young men should chase merit, intelligence, strength, and virtue. Those are the things that actually make you look better in everyone's eyes. A smart, healthy man has real confidence and energy. His face shows purpose, not cartoonish features and weird lumps from some failed procedure.
Exercise, real food, and a sharp mind shape the body as nature intended, and keep at bay the self-inflicted curses of obesity like diabetes, heart disease, and the rest. I have no patience for the modern cult of 'body positivity' that tries to turn preventable illness into a badge of honor. Anyone can improve their fitness, regardless of genetics, and certainly without resorting to pills or scalpels.
If you're competing in pro bodybuilding, then you can take steroids. Otherwise, you're damaging your body and turning off your balls for no reason.
Happy, principled men, those grounded in traditional values, family, and hard work, draw respect and admiration far beyond superficial wannabe-Chads online.
No position, except for modeling or acting, where visuals are the actual product, should be based on looks alone.
Leaders like George Washington and Alexander the Great commanded through wisdom and bravery, not "canthal tilts."
We should elect based on the ability to manage a state or nation, secure borders, defend faith, and build prosperity, not people who focus on jawlines and implants.
The best stances demand moral clarity, reject extremes, and uphold the ideals of self-care and self-improvement without succumbing to ultimate vanity. Looksmaxxing's zombified gooners, chasing endless tweaks, end up hollow-minded and broken, while real men get things done and continue to maintain and build civilization.
Basic grooming/fitness/style actually works for 95% of guys and doesn't require any of this nonsense. Shower, lift reasonably, eat well, dress decently, fix posture, and get a good haircut, that's it.
Ditch the delusions, men. Build intellect through reading classics, strength via honest labor and sport, and spirit through faith. That path not only forges true attractiveness but also equips you to lead families and nations.
There are plenty of good women holding out for a hero. You could be him.