Health · Mental Health · 1 day ago
Looksmaxxing pushes appearance improvement from grooming to extreme methods
Looksmaxxing is an online movement focused on making a person more attractive.
It involves young men and boys, and has spread from niche forums to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
Its methods range from exercise, dieting and grooming to cosmetic procedures, experimental drugs and attempts to alter facial bones.
Supporters use rankings and labels to judge facial features and describe progress toward an ideal appearance.
Cyrus, a 20-year-old Australian, tracks his body closely and says he uses medications and supplements as part of his routine.
A recent heart scan found very slight changes, though the information given does not say what caused them.
The movement matters because it presents appearance changes as a way to improve more than looks, while some of its methods can be extreme.
Looksmaxxing is an online movement focused on maximising physical attractiveness, ranging from grooming and exercise to cosmetic procedures and extreme methods.
The movement has spread from niche online forums to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
Cyrus, a 20-year-old Australian, tracks his body and uses a range of methods to change his appearance and monitor his health.
He says looksmaxxing is also about cognition and the mind, describing it as optimising biology.
A 2025 report found that 63 per cent of Australian men aged 16 to 25 engage with masculinity influencers.
- Who
- Looksmaxxers, including 20-year-old Cyrus, and young men encountering the movement online.
- What
- Looksmaxxing seeks to maximise physical attractiveness through methods ranging from grooming and exercise to procedures and extreme attempts to alter the body.
- When
- The article was published on October 10, 2026. It does not state when the movement began.
- Where
- The movement has spread online, including on TikTok and Instagram. Cyrus met influencer Androgenic in Brisbane.
- Why
- The movement promises improvements to appearance and, in Cyrus's view, cognition and the mind.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
I believe looksmaxxing is about more than just improving your physical appearance.
you're optimising your biology.
Cyrus met Australian looksmaxxing influencer Androgenic in Brisbane's nightlife district.
Cyrus began helping behind the scenes with parts of Androgenic's coaching business.
An echocardiogram detected very slight changes to Cyrus's heart.
- Cyrus's age
- 20
- Cyrus's estimated body fat
- Close to 10 per cent
- Cyrus's bulking goal
- 100 kilograms
- Australian men aged 16 to 25
- 63 per cent engage with masculinity influencers, according to a 2025 Movember Institute of Men's Health report
- Publication date
- October 10, 2026
Sources
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