High-tier normie, true Eve, canthal tilt — these terms, which have propagated throughout the looksmaxxing community, take the already complex English lexicon to a new level. Currently, a new distinction is being drawn between ordinary self-care and the hardcore, ultra-technical ‘blackpill’ nature of the online looksmaxxing niche.
Looksmaxxing — a portmanteau of “looks” and “maximizing” — traces its origins back to discussion boards in the 2010s. It’s best defined as focusing on making one’s physical appearance as conventionally attractive as possible, while ridiculing those considered particularly unattractive.
Though the term has existed for fifteen years, looksmaxxing’s current recognizability in the American mainstream can be attributed largely to one influencer: Clavicular.
Born Braden Eric Peters, Clavicular’s embrace of looksmaxxing has turned his online persona into a brand. In fact, Clavicular has candidly discussed a variety of dangerous looksmaxxing methods, including ‘bonesmashing,’ the practice of hitting one’s face with a hammer to gain a more chiseled jaw, and taking methamphetamine to suppress his appetite.
Within a year, Clavicular has amassed 1 million followers on Instagram and 1.2 million on TikTok. Yet outside of the algorithmic echo chamber of his fans, Clavicular has an overwhelming number of critics.
From his usage of racial slurs to his misogynistic ideology, Clavicular has always faced immense opposition from the general public. The looksmaxxing community also tends to problematically link conventional attractiveness — rooted in Eurocentric beauty standards — with an individual’s actual value. This effectively ostracizes the majority while idolizing the select ‘attractive’ few deemed worthy of respect.
And this backlash has only grown in recent weeks. In September, Clavicular was charged by the Massachusetts government with supplying a minor with alcohol and sexually assaulting her.
This marks a stark contrast to Clavicular’s past incidents; although he’s faced legal trouble before, the vast majority of cases were dropped. This time, his arraignment is on Oct. 14 — and, if found guilty, he could be facing years of jail time.
Furthermore, the charges are a solemn reminder of the impact of Clavicular’s content and what looksmaxxing represents. Having built his platform on hypermasculinity, Clavicular’s violation of women tragically echoes the overall objectification women experience from the looksmaxxing community.
For some internet users, these charges aren’t entirely unexpected and seem like a natural byproduct of the looksmaxxing pipeline. Others, however, have critiqued this blasé attitude. Popular Twitch streamer Vanillamace commented that acting as if Clavicular was bound to commit some level of crime against women “takes away from the victim” and implies his behavior was predictable, paralleling past victim-blaming rhetoric.
While a significant portion of the internet demands retribution, Clavicular has shown no remorse in the wake of these charges. From livestreaming his “Camp Looksmax” series to posting TikToks trying to ‘mog’ (look aesthetically superior), he has made little effort to acknowledge the incident beyond briefly denying the charges in September.
Overall, the charges against Clavicular remind us that radical ideologies can have real-world impact. While it may be easy to scoff at the almost absurdly exaggerated content of people like Clavicular, these pipelines unironically lure in many, and staying aware of what we’re consuming is a crucial defense.
