‘Your face looks grotesque’: How looksmaxxing can harm young men and boys – CBC
New study says members of online community encourage surgeries, suicide
Apr 22, 2025
Most of us likely have days when we feel we’re not looking our best.
Maybe our hair’s a little wonky, or we look more tired than usual. Or perhaps there’s a feature of our physical appearance that we’ve never quite made peace with.
But for some young men who participate in an online community called “looksmaxxing,” those self-critiques can become excessive. And the criticism they receive from other members — and their suggested remedies, which can include self-injury and surgery — are even more extreme.
Looksmaxxing is, on the surface, about trying to look your best in order to attract a partner. But a new study from Dalhousie University says while the community is framed as self-help, it can be harmful to participants.
“It is really caustic to the self-esteem of men and boys,” says Michael Halpin, a professor of sociology at Dalhousie and the lead author of the study, which was published in the journal Sociology of Health and Wellness in February.
