The Truth About LooksMaxxing
In this video, we meet Liam, a 15 year old boy using testosterone gummies he bought from a LooksMaxxing influencer online to try to get ripped quickly. Liam goes behind the scenes of online LooksMaxxing influencers, tries to figure out what girls really want from a guy, and learns the difference between healthy workouts and anxiety-producing scams. [AMZ-184]
This video is the first of five in a series on “Combatting the Manosphere.” The videos and corresponding collateral material are produced by AMAZE in collaboration with the LinkUp Lab, a project of Equimundo and Futures Without Violence.
Youth
There is nothing wrong with looking online for tips and tricks about fitness, hair, fashion, skincare, health, and confidence. But it’s important to spot the difference between good, healthy tips that work for teenagers, versus scams by influencers who use shame to increase your anxiety and make money.
LooksMaxxing refers to various ways to increase your physical attractiveness — usually quick fixes like mewing, taking pills, and buying several expensive products to use regularly. Oftentimes, LooksMaxxing influencers use shame to make people feel bad about who they are – they play off everyone’s insecurities and increase anxiety about body image. Then they exploit how they made you feel to sell gummies, pills, penis pumps, or other products with zero evidence that they work.
The online personalities pushing these products are often making money off their sale, so they have an interest in convincing you that you aren’t good enough. They also make money off of video views, so they keep coming up with new LooksMaxxing techniques that they insist you have to do.
It’s a cycle that harms you and benefits them. Here’s how:
- You search for videos about how to work out, or style your hair, or create an outfit that looks good (nothing wrong with that!)
- But you find LooksMaxxing videos from online influencers who make you feel bad about yourself (they make money from the views).
- You buy their products (again, they make more money).
- Their products don’t work. Their recommendations are impossible to do. You feel shame and anxiety that you can’t meet the impossible standard they invented.
- You find new videos with different methods and different products.
- You watch those videos and buy those products (and they make money off of you again).
- And around and around it goes.
It is great to improve your health by exercising, eating nutritious foods, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated. There are some things about our bodies and our fitness that we can change, but there are some things – like our height and our jawline – that we cannot control. When looking for tips online, try to find two or three different sources saying the same thing before you believe it. If a video is talking about bodies using shaming words like “ugly,” “gross,” “disgusting,” or promising that their tips will change your body in an exact amount of days or weeks (think, “Get 6-pack abs in 5 weeks”), that might be a LooksMaxxing video you don’t want to watch. Finally, if a video tries to sell you products that they insist will work (using words like “definitely”, “guranteed”, or “works every time”), then that is probably a scam, and you should find a different video.
To be clear, it’s important to focus on your health, fitness and wellbeing to help feel better emotionally, mentally and physically. Feeling good about yourself and your health can also help you feel more confident and more desirable as a potential romantic partner. Focusing on your well-being and self care is healthy, but not when it becomes extreme with a hyperfocus on your appearance. It is great to challenge yourself to get in better shape, eat healthier foods and try to be your best self, but it can cross a line into unhealthy when expectations are not realistic and people can take advantage by trying to sell you fake products that don’t really work.
It can help to try and focus on the positive things about yourself – inside and outside – and do your best to live a healthy lifestyle while also not hyperfocusing on things outside of your control. A person who is happy and confident is most attractive to others, no matter what their appearance is like on the outside.
FAQs
When looking for tips online, try to find two or three different sources saying the same thing before you believe it. If a video is talking about bodies using shaming words like “ugly,” “gross,” “disgusting,” or promising that their tips will change your body in an exact amount of days or weeks (think, “Get 6-pack abs in 5 weeks”), that might be a LooksMaxxing video you don’t want to watch. Finally, if a video tries to sell you products that they insist will work (using words like “definitely”, “guranteed”, or “works every time”), then that is probably a scam, and you should find a different video.
Normal is different for everyone – some people need to spend more time doing their hair than others, that’s just the way it is. So instead of worrying about the exact time you spend on something, think about this way: Are you enjoying the process of putting together an outfit, working out, figuring out your style, etc.? Or are you mostly stressing out about it? Looking good can be hard work, but just like a sport or art project, you should want to do it because you enjoy it. Look, we all stress about our looks a little bit. Everyone who works out has days where they just don’t want to go, and in those moments it’s ok to push yourself to go and stay disciplined about it. But as they say in the video, “if it stops being fun and starts making you anxious, that’s not strength, that’s stress.”
Every person is different, but if you start to notice you feel bad about yourself or notice that you compare yourself to others when you are scrolling, it’s time to take a break and do an activity that doesn’t involve your device! If you notice that you check your device automatically-without realizing it or feel like you have to check your social media all the time, you might be developing an unhealthy habit and spending too much time online.
Parents
Teens often seek out tips about fitness, fashion, and grooming online because it’s the only place where they find answers to their questions. There is nothing wrong with looking online, but it’s important for parents and families to be aware of how quickly algorithms can start to deliver harmful, shaming videos to young people. We encourage you to read the above sections and watch the video to understand how to spot harmful LooksMaxxing content, and speak to your kids about it. Try to watch the same videos and influencers they are watching and find moments in your day-to-day life to point out when something you heard was not science-based, or when someone is trying to make money off of shaming their viewers.
That said, it is important for young people to focus on their health, fitness, and wellbeing to help feel better emotionally, mentally and physically. When your kids feel good about themselves and their health, it can also help them feel more confident (and more desirable as a potential romantic partner, which is something they are likely thinking about now). Focusing on their well-being and self care is healthy, but not when it becomes extreme with a hyperfocus on their appearance.
It is great for young people to challenge themselves to get in better shape, eat healthier foods and try to be their best self, but it can cross a line into unhealthy when expectations are not realistic and people can take advantage by trying to sell them fake products that don’t really work.
Parents and families can play an essential role in interrupting a teen spiraling into the world of LooksMaxxing. If your child is asking for specific brands for skincare, hair styling, and clothes, that is completely normal as societal pressure builds to look a certain way. But if you ask where your teen learned about something, that can help identify potential issues. It’s one thing if everyone at school is now wearing one style of jeans – but it might be problematic if the host of a series of workout videos wants your teen to use a specific brand of teeth whitener, or use a hair loss product at 15 years old. Be especially wary of interest in products or habits that can change someone physically, whether it’s insoles to seem taller, jaw workouts (called mewing), or testosterone supplements meant to quickly (unrealistically) increase muscle mass. These can even include drops to whiten their eyes, pumps or special underwear to increase penis size, or cosmetic surgeries to fix hairlines, cheekbones, and more. Yeah, it can get dangerous fast.
Talk to your kids regularly about things you and others find attractive in other people that are not looks-based. When a child ties their self-worth solely to looks, it can lead to a fragile sense of self, and a shallow view of other people in their lives.
You can also make sure your child is aware of opportunities for exercise, healthy activities, and community-building at school or in your area. Parents and families do need to strike a balance between talking about fitness and the benefits of physical activity versus hyperfocusing on it or even bodyshaming their own kids. But if you feel your child is starting to focus on muscles, looks, athleticism and other fitness topics, it’s great to offer to sign them up for school-based sports and clubs, or introduce a family friend who knows about fitness that you trust to be a mentor for them. You cannot remove the influence of the internet, but the more you can move them into real-life human interactions, the healthier they will be.
Conversation Starters
Sit down with your child to look at funny videos or pictures, creating the space for your child to be comfortable with you and sharing online experiences.
Then ask them how they think these creators make money. Teach your child that online influencers make money by getting you to (1) watch their videos, and (2) buy any products they might be selling. Then you can ask if they watch any videos where the person is selling something. While not always bad, you can use this conversation to discuss how a creator doesn’t always know everything about the product sponsoring them, and how to spot when something might be a scam or dangerous.
Kids and teens absorb what their parents say, even if they claim to not care or even groan at how old you sound. You can say things like, “I think she’s really into him because he promised he would help her move and now he kept that promise – she can trust him.” Or, “Your Uncle Marty had lots of great relationships because he was so romantic – sending hand written cards where he would be very vulnerable in sharing his feelings was a big hit.” Don’t act like being physically attractive isn’t a factor in romantic relationships – that will come off as dishonest – but the more you can weave into everyday conversations other things people are attracted to, the better.
Educators
It is important for young people to focus on their health, fitness, and wellbeing to help feel better emotionally, mentally and physically. When they feel good about themselves and their health, it can also help them feel more confident. Focusing on their well-being and self care is healthy, but not when it becomes extreme with a hyperfocus on their appearance.
Teens often seek out tips about fitness, fashion, and grooming online because it’s the only place where they find answers to their questions. If you notice students that have become hyperfocused on their appearance, try to guide them towards a school-based resource like a sport, club, or fitness program where they will work with coaches, P.E. teachers and real-life professionals. You cannot remove the influence of the internet, but the more you can move them into real-life human interactions, the healthier they will be.
There is nothing wrong with looking for fitness information online, but it’s important for educators to be aware of how quickly algorithms can start to deliver harmful, shaming videos to young people. We encourage you to read the above sections and watch the video to understand how to spot harmful LooksMaxxing content, and speak to your students about it.
Helping young people understand how social media algorithms work, as well as the skill of thinking critically while using social media is essential. Give them opportunities in class to discuss popular posts, break-down marketing strategies used by social media influencers, and to think critically with their peers about what they see. This will help them when they are scrolling on their own, in addition to helping them know how to access reliable resources in the future.
It’s time to involve a parent or school counselor if a student is showing interest in products or habits that can change someone physically, whether it’s insoles to seem taller, jaw workouts (called mewing), or testosterone supplements meant to quickly (unrealistically) increase muscle mass. These can be signs they have been watching LooksMaxxing videos, and the products LooksMaxxing influencers push can even include drops to whiten the eyes, pumps or special underwear to increase penis size, or cosmetic surgeries to fix hairlines, cheekbones, and more. Yeah, it can get dangerous fast.
It is great for young people to challenge themselves to get in better shape, eat healthier foods and try to be their best self, but it can cross a line into unhealthy when expectations are not realistic and people can take advantage by trying to sell them fake products that don’t really work. Help young people focus on the positive things about themselves – inside and out – and try to point out when they are hyperfocusing on things outside of their control.
National Sex Education Standards
Describe gender-role stereotypes and their potential impact on self and others
Evaluate the impact of technology (e.g., use of smart phones, GPS tracking) and social media on relationships (e.g., consent, communication)
Demonstrate strategies to use social media safely, legally, and respectfully
Analyze the potentially positive and negative roles of technology and social media on one’s sense of self and within relationships
Analyze cultural and social factors (e.g., sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, classism) that can influence decisions regarding sexual behaviors