The online trend "looksmaxxing" shares many similarities with the incel community.
Incels: "involuntary celibate" men who suffer from one condition: women do not want to sleep with them, because they allegedly only want rich and handsome men.
Looksmaxxers: men who do anything to enhance their looks in the hope that women will sleep with them – because they are only interested in rich and handsome men, of course.
While these two groups are at the opposite ends of the spectrum, their world views are very similar. Both movements are part of the manosphere, an online movement which’s core values are toxic masculinity and misogyny. So is it really just a coincidence that the faces behind these communities, Andrew Tate and Clavicular for example, seem to be the best of friends or is there an actual connection between looksmaxxing and incels?
Different Names, Same Mindset
Incels are part of an online subculture consisting mostly of white, heterosexual men. These men claim that they are unable to form romantic or sexual relationships due to one reason: women reject them because they aren’t attractive or wealthy enough. They believe that the feminist achievements of the past years have taken away their "birth-right" – their entitlement to the female body and sexual activity. The incel community is commonly associated with misogyny, rape culture, and right-wing extremism. Incels don’t just joke about violence against women. They promote and commit it. In recent years there have been many cases of men associated with this subculture killing women.
Looksmaxxing is an online trend recently popularized on social media platforms like TikTok that promotes very high beauty standards for men. The origins of this trend: the manosphere and the incel forums. Members of the community try to "maximize their appearance" through various methods, ranging from simple things like working out to unconventional and even dangerous behaviors. The trend is known for promoting a method called bone-smashing, which involves hitting your own face with a hammer to achieve a sharper jawline. But why are these men doing this to themselves? The answer is simple: one of the main reasons is to get with women. Incels and looksmaxxers share the belief that women are extremely superficial and only want the top percentage of men. So is looksmaxxing just incels trying to step out of their "involuntary celibacy"?
The Same Framework: The Sexual Market Theory
One obvious connection between these subcultures is that their worldview is based on the same framework: the sexual market theory.
This theory assigns a sexual market value to every person in society according to their looks and desirability. Those with a high SMV will only engage in sexual activity with others of a similar SMV. Women can falsify their SMV by enhancing their appearance with makeup and clothing. (How dare they? They should just smash their bones, too!)
This is also where the difference between looksmaxxers and incels occurs: incels "accept their fate" as the unwanted lower-rated class in society. Looksmaxxers believe that they can change their SMV by trying to fit into the beauty standard. Apparently all women like the exact same type of men: buff with "hunter eyes" and a sharp jawline.
A Dream Team Of Misogyny – Andrew Tate and Clavicular
It’s no surprise that Clavicular, the infamous face of looksmaxxing, and Andrew Tate, the idol of incels, seem to be rather good friends. Apart from their multiple livestreams, the two were also seen together at a club in Miami, chanting along to Kanye West’s "Heil Hitler". Also present: Nick Fuentes, a right-wing influencer and white supremacist.
Clavicular does not seem happy about the link between him and Tate. After 60 minutes he walked out of an interview when asked about their relationship. He doesn’t engage in "political jestering" – as if singing "Heil Hitler" and spending time with alleged criminals like Andrew Tate, who has been accused of human trafficking and rape, and right-wing influencers isn’t political in itself.
@tmz A routine "60 Minutes Australia" interview didn't just get awkward -- Clavicular walked out altogether after taking some hard shots at the dude who was firing the questions. : 60 Minutes Australia FULL STORY AT IN BIO.
original sound - TMZ
The Target: Young Men
Being a looksmaxxer seems cooler than being an incel – at least it appears impressive to young men. Jordan Foster, an assistant professor at MacEwan University in Edmonton, calls looksmaxxing "a potent form of bait for men and especially vulnerable young men, who may already hold certain anxieties or frustrations about their future and the state of affairs in the nation."
Not only the sometimes drastic measures Looksmaxxers take to achieve the beauty standard are dangerous: Looksmaxxing might just be the gateway to becoming an incel for many young men. The worldview behind it is the same. So, what happens when a Looksmaxxer is rejected by the "superficial" girl he’s trying to win over?
I can't help but wonder if these men have ever considered that women don't want them because of their sexist beliefs, not their looks.
