from incel forums
looksmaxxing
Meaning
- The practice of trying to maximize one’s physical attractiveness.
- (verb) To take steps toward that goal, from skincare to posture work to surgery.
“He’s been looksmaxxing since January: new haircut, new gym routine, new posture.”
Where it came from
Coined in the mid-2010s on incel forums such as Lookism.net, using a “maxxing” suffix borrowed from the idea of maxing out a stat in a role-playing game. It moved through 4chan and Reddit before TikTok creators popularized a milder, mainstream version in the 2020s.