A new online trend is pushing harmful beauty standards on young men, causing some to harm themselves in an effort to look more masculine.
The phenomenon is called "looksmaxxing" and is part of an internet subculture known as the "manosphere."
Some aspects of the trend appear harmless, with a focus on healthy habits like skincare, exercise and grooming — but some have taken the trend much farther, promoting drastic and potentially harmful methods young men can do to change their appearance.
Dr. Christine Stiles, a professor of plastic surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, spoke with NTX Now's Miranda Suarez about what looksmaxxing is and why parents need to pay attention.
These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity. To hear the full conversation, click the 'listen' button above.
What is looksmaxxing?
Stiles describes looksmaxxing as basically maximizing your look.
"And that has been an appealing thing on social media for younger men," she said.
The trend promotes the idea that men need to appear hypermasculine to be considered physically attractive. Stiles compared it to other beauty trends that are typically targeted at young women.
"I do think that a lot of the social pressures that women have felt, in the media and day-to-day life in general, has now made its way into the young male population," she said.
But Stiles says the difference is that this trend appears to be more extreme.
Softmaxxing versus hardmaxxing
"When you're looking at a new skincare regimen or a diet regimen or even a workout regimen, those kind of things fall into the softmaxxing realm," Stiles explained. "Those, by and large, are not really dangerous and they do typically help these young men look better, feel better about themselves."
But Stiles says the concept of hardmaxxing is much more extreme and can cause cause real harm.
"There's a spectrum to it," she said. "One of the most dramatic things that these young men may attempt on their own is something called bone smashing, which literally involves using a mallet or a hammer to cause injury to the facial bones."
She said the goal is give the face a more defined, chiseled appearance — but an indiscriminate injury to the bone will not necessarily achieve that look. Young men who attempt this can damage their bones, as well as the fat and the subcutaneous tissue in the skin.
"That's where I think teenagers and young men can really get themselves into trouble," she said. "Because they don't really know what kind of injury they're creating and what kind long-term effect that will have."
Advice for young men
Stiles encourages young men to recognize their worth beyond superficial things like their appearance. She says character development and confidence are not built solely on what you look like on the outside.
"It's really important to talk to these patients, just get an idea of what their goals are," Stiles said. "[Then explain] what's realistic and what isn't and try to guide them on a healthy path to get their desired result."
She said that's a much healthier, and safer, approach than trying to change your physical appearance at home without knowing the risks of what they're doing.
"There are a lot of healthy, good paths to improve your appearance, to help you get in shape," Stiles said. "As opposed to things that are destructive, toxic, and could lead you down a really detrimental path."
Miranda Suarez is a co-host of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Miranda at msuarez@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
Copyright 2026 KERA News