A Thorough Glossary of Looksmaxxing Terms You Need to Know

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Looksmaxxing expert Rorz gives us the rundown on the current vocab

Co-authored by Rorz and Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: March 23, 2026 Fact Checked

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Have you been framemogged by looksmaxxing chads who’ve ascended to beat lookism? Scratching your head at what that sentence even means? You’re not alone, and we’re here to help. wikiHow talked to looksmaxxing experts, pop culture pros, and healthcare professionals to explain the language of the internet’s most verbose subculture to date. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know!

Important Looksmaxxing Terms

Looksmaxxing expert Rorz tells us that looksmaxxing is a focus on improving one’s appearance. Here's some of the most common looksmaxxing lingo:

• Mogging is when someone outdoes another person in terms of appearance and attraction.
• Bonesmashing is the practice of hitting the bones of your face in the hope that they heal in a more appealing and chiselled structure. (Don't do this!)
• Mewing is the practice of mewing like a cat with the aim of toning facial muscles.

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Section 1 of 3:

Looksmaxxing Terms

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1. 
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   Ascension Rorz uses “ascension” to mean the final goal of looksmaxxing. That goal is, essentially, achieving the looks and aesthetics looksmaxxers believe are needed to be attractive or appealing to others—so appealing that you get some action. Once that happens, a looksmaxxer has ascended.

   • Example: “I just need to looksmaxx a little more. Then I can meet a girl and ascend.”

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Rorz is a men’s aesthetics and self-improvement coach, entrepreneur, YouTuber, and model from Australia.

   Austin Wayne is an aesthetics and looksmaxxing authority with 9 years of experience in fitness, aesthetics, and self-improvement.

   Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, is the owner and head clinician at Astute Counseling Services, a private counseling practice in Chicago, Illinois. She has 18 years of clinical and educational experience.
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   Androgenic Androgenic is an Australian looksmaxxing streamer and influencer. Born in 2001, he’s a self-described “chad” who’s one of the most visible looksmaxxers. You might know him from the video in which someone steals his wig.

   • Example: “Did you see Androgenic’s stream last night? He totally mogged.”
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   ASU frat leader Known legally as Varis Gilaj, the “ASU frat leader” is a recent character in the looksmaxxing streamer mythos. He’s not actually the “frat leader,” he’s just a fitness influencer with wide shoulders who was present at the ASU frat when notable looksmaxxer Clavicular visited, and was then “framemogged” (more on that in a bit) by Gilaj.

   • Example: “I can’t believe ASU frat Leader framemogged Clavicular like that.”
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   BIMAX This is a shortened form of “bimaxillary osteotomy,” or double jaw surgery, where both the top and lower jaws are altered or aligned, like to fix an overbite. Rorz explains that the more dedicated looksmaxxers will often turn to surgery and cosmetic procedures to achieve the look they want. BIMAX is one of the more extreme, coveted “holy grail” surgeries.

   • Example: “Yeah, I’m saving up for the BIMAX so I can finally have the profile I want.”
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   Blackpill “Blackpill” is shorthand for a philosophy that leans toward nihilism, also known as “doomerism.” It originated on manosphere blogs (blogs centering “men’s issues,” which often lean misogynistic) and is used by looksmaxxers or fans to express despair at the state of the world—especially when discussing their own aesthetic appeal, or suspected lack thereof.

   • Example: “Ugh, I’m totally blackpilled. I’ll never ascend and be desirable.”
   • Red pill describes a sudden epiphany or acceptance of an uncomfortable truth, as in the movie The Matrix, when Neo opts to take the red pill that exposes reality. Redpill is also often used in reference to conservative or right-wing politics or to incel culture.
   • Blue pill describes living in a state of denial or delusion. As in The Matrix, taking the blue pill allows one to continue living in ignorant bliss.
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   Bonesmashing Rorz tells us that many looksmaxxers believe that they can shape their bones and skulls, based on the notion that one can “improve the posture of your face.” Bonsmashing is an extreme and dangerous example of this practice, where looksmaxxers hit their faces with hammers in hopes of “refusing” the bones in a more appealing configuration. No, it’s not safe, and no, it doesn’t work like that.

   • Example: “I bonesmashed for 20 minutes this morning, so my jaw hurts, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.” (It won't.)
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   Canthal tilt Canthal tilt refers to the rotation of your eyes. Negative canthal tilt is when the eyes slope away from the nose, and positive canthal tilt is when the eyes slope down toward the nose. In the world of looksmaxxing, a negative tilt is considered less attractive (but remember that these "rules" about what's attractive or not are, well, pretty arbitrary).

   • Example: “I’m concerned that my negative canthal tilt is totally turning off the ladies.”
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   Chad “Chad” is a meme that predates looksmaxxing, but which was picked up pretty naturally by the subculture. A chad is someone of superior looks and aesthetics who has no trouble finding acceptance and sexual success.

   • Example: “It’s not fair how chads get whatever they want just because they’re hot.”
   • A chadlite is a chad who’s not as chadly as other chads.
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   Chud A chud is the negative counterpart to the chad—someone who’s socially unpleasant and generally seen as “lesser.” It originated with the movie C.H.U.D., short for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, and was picked up by the internet at large years later.

   • Example: “That chud just looked at me. Ew.”
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    Clavicular Clavicular is the most notable looksmaxxing streamer, and at this point is seen as the sort of “main character” of looksmaxxing. Known legally as Braden Peters and born in 2005, Clavicular broke out of the looksmaxxing niche thanks to his ridiculous antics and the extreme lengths he goes to in order to looksmaxx, like bonesmashing.

    • Clavicular is named for the clavicle, or the collarbone, which is considered an attractive feature on the body.
    • Example: “Calvicular was totally jestermaxxing on stream last night.”
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    Cope “Cope” is a state of denial or delusion. In other words, it means to cope. Looksmaxxing communities often use it to discuss harsh truths about looks and aesthetics.

    • Example: “Bro, give it up. She’s out of your league. You’re full of cope right now.”
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    Cortisol spike Cortisol is a hormone that controls your adrenaline. In looksmaxxing slang, a figurative “cortisol spike” is a reaction to high stress or shock, like when a looksmaxxer gets one-upped by another looksmaxxer. Looksmaxxing streamers are often discussed in terms of their current cortisol levels.

    • Example: “I had a major cortisol spike when he asked out my crush right in front of me.”
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    Cuck “Cuck” is short for cuckold—someone who idles while their sexual or romantic partner is courted by someone else. It found usage in the online mansosphere—a culture of aggrieved men—and naturally migrated to the looksmaxxing scene.

    • Example: “I need to looksmax so I don’t get cucked by a chad.”
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    Foid Short for “femoid,” this is an insulting slang term for female or woman that originated in manosphere communities and found increased usage with looksmaxxing. It’s mostly used to talk badly about women who aren’t deemed “desirable,” or who are seen as victimizers of men. Basically, it's misogynistic and cringe, so don't call people this.

    • Example: “She turned me down, but she was a foid anyway.”
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    Framemogged To framemog someone is to show off a superior upper-body figure, or frame, such as wider shoulders or a broader back, making your rival look slight and emasculated. It’s a variant of “mog,” which means to best someone in a competition of looks.

    • Example: “I totally framemogged him when I flexed my arms, but he had me beat with his legs.”
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    Hardmaxxing Rorz explains that “hardmaxxing” is when someone takes looksmaxxing to the extreme, “going above what you have naturally.” Usually, looksmaxxers focus on things like fitness and skincare, but hardmaxxers might opt for things like surgery in order to change their appearance.

    • Example: “Looksmaxxing isn’t enough. I need to hardmaxx.”
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    Hunter eyes Aesthetics and looksmaxxing authority Austin Wayne says that hunter eyes are a type of eye where the upper eyelid is less visible when looking forward, and that hunter eyes are seen as more attractive to looksmaxxers. Hunter eyes are narrower and give the impression of focus or dominance, and looksmaxxers often try to achieve hunter eyes through exercise or surgery.

    • Example: “Ugh, my eyes are so wide and adorable. I wish I had hunter eyes.”
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    Incel “Incel” is short for “involuntary celibate,” and describes someone who, despite their best efforts, does not have sexual success. LGBTQ+ culture expert NV Gay explains that incels are “typically characterized by external rage and misogyny.” It’s another manosphere term that existed before looksmaxxing, but which has much overlap and was naturally adopted by the scene. We’re sensing a pattern here.

    • Fun fact, the word "incel" was actually coined by a woman, who used it to describe herself and other women who had trouble dating—but then the term was coopted by men and is now used pretty exclusively to refer to men.
    • Example: “He doesn’t realize that he’s an incel because of his own mindset, not because women don’t find him attractive.”
    • Femcels are female incels. Take our femcel quiz to see if that’s you.
    • Gymcels are incels obsessed with working out in the gym.
    • You can add “-cel” to just about any word to make a new, derogatory term, like workcel, virgincel, skullcel, etc.
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    Jestermaxxing Jestermaxxing is when someone acts deliberately silly or funny in order to get attention from someone they want to impress. They usually take it too far and end up looking just plain foolish, though.

    • Example: “Be funny, but don’t just jestermaxx.”
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    Kick Kick is a streaming platform where many looksmaxxers stream and build audiences. It’s a rival to the platform Twitch, and its main draw is that it’s less moderated, so streamers and audiences can get away with certain behaviors not allowed on other platforms, which, troublingly, is a major draw.

    • Example: “Did you see what Clavicular got up to on his Kick stream earlier?”
    • Notably, Kick is owned by Stake, an online cryptocurrency and gambling host that partners with and funds many streamers.
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    Limb lengthening surgery LLS is a procedure where bones in the limbs are lengthened, resulting in, well, longer limbs. Longer limbs, especially legs (which make one taller), are considered desirable in the looksmaxxing scene, and so some looksmaxxers have resorted to surgical procedures to alter their bodies through LLS.

    • Example: “Dude, Dwight looks like two inches taller. I think he got limb lengthening surgery.”
    • Do women really care how tall a guy is? While some women do claim to prefer taller guys or guys who look a certain way, when it comes down to it, most women just want a guy who's kind and funny.
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    Lookism Therapist Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, explains that “Lookism is a form of discrimination based on physical appearance and how closely someone aligns with socially constructed standards of beauty and acceptability.” Looksmaxxing in general is based around lookism, and looksmaxxers see the subculture as a way to overcome lookism.

    • Example: “I could be anyone I wanted if it weren’t for lookism.”
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    -maxxing This is a suffix that can be added to pretty much any word to turn the word into an activity someone is focusing on or working especially hard on, like looksmaxxing. It comes from the gaming term “min-maxing,” which means to start from a base skill level and improve it as much as possible.

    • Example: “I’m tucked into bed, sipping cocoa, watching a movie. I’m cozy-maxxing.”
    • Starvemaxxing is the pursuit of weightloss by not eating.
    • Roidmaxxing is the pursuit of muscle gain through steroids.
    • Whitemaxxing is the pursuit of light skin through creams.
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    Mewing Mewing is a facial exercise where you “mew” like a cat in order to tone your facial muscles and, theoretically, reduce fat, sculpting your face into a more attractive shape. Opinions abound on whether or not it actually works, and while looksmaxxers often swear by it, cosmetic dentist Nidhi Pai, DDS, tells us that it won’t work, even if you do it “all day every day.”
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    Mogging Rorz explains that “mogging in simple terms is essentially when one person outshines another in terms of their appearance.” This is where the competitive aspect of looksmaxxing really jumps out, with looksmaxxers strutting and competing to “mog” each other as a display of aesthetic prowess.

    • Example: “I just got mogged on the bus by a total chad.”
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    Natty “Natty” is short for natural, and refers to methods of changing your appearance that aren’t invasive, manipulative, or artificial. This can be exercise, makeup, or posture correction. “Fake natty” is anything unnatural, like steroids or surgery.

    • Example: “See this body? All natty. No enhancers.”
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    Normie “Normie” is a more general internet term that refers to anyone outside a subculture—any normal, unconcerned, uncontaminated person. In looksmaxxing, it refers to anyone not concerned with their appearance or sexual prowess in the same way a looksmaxxer is.

    • Example: “I wish I could go back to being a normie, but I’m in too deep.”
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    PSL Scale PSL stands for PUAhate, sluthate, and lookism, which are three (toxic) online forums. The PSL scale is supposedly an “objective” measurement of someone’s facial structure that determines how attractive they are, and in more contemporary terms, stands for “proportion, size, and lineation,” which can be described as symmetry, feature size, and facial contours, respectively.

    • Example: “It just feels like I score pretty low on the PSL scale, and that’s why I need looksmaxxing.”
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    Sexual Market Value (SML) This refers to the idea that sex is a marketplace, and that each person has a value on the marketplace depending on their attractiveness, and that you can leverage your value to have sex with other people, and that you can also appreciate or depreciate in value. If that doesn’t sound like a healthy mindset, it’s because it’s not.

    • Example: “There’s no way I could ever get with him. His SMV is way higher than mine.”
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    Slayer A slayer is someone who is very attractive and, thus, has lots of sex. Obviously.

    • Example: “That slayer just totally mogged that chud.”
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    Softmaxxing Rorz explains that softmaxxing is a more casual form of looksmaxxing, focusing on the smaller aspects of appearance like teeth whitening, hair grooming, and overall hygiene.

    • Example: “I’m just softmaxxing for now, but if it doesn’t work, I might start hardmaxxing.”
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    Stacy A stacy is a female chad, usually curvaceous, popular, and sexually active.

    • Example: “I just got mogged by a stacy.”
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Section 2 of 3:

What is looksmaxxing?

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1. Looksmaxxing is a lifestyle that focuses on improving one’s appearance. Rorz tells us that he sees looksmaxxing as “mainly a space for self-improvement essentially…but more focused in terms of the appearance side of things.” In recent years, it’s become something of a cultural phenomenon, as looksmaxxing practitioners do more and more to achieve their desired looks.

   • For many, the idea is that you can improve your appearance, thus improving your sexual desirability.
   • These days, the scene has become popular for its extreme practices and outlandish personalities.

Section 3 of 3:

Where did looksmaxxing come from?

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1. 
   Looksmaxxing began in online manosphere forums. The culture got its start on the forum Lookism.net when a forum named “Looksmaxxing” was added to the site in 2015, where users could share beauty tips. Similar forums arose in the following months, as well as social media accounts. In 2022-23, looksmaxxing memes took off on TikTok, and the trend gained virality and mainstream attention.

   • The trend is closely linked to the manosphere, a culture where men discuss “male issues” and grievances.
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