When Beauty Standards Meet Political Extremism: The Looksmaxxing Pipeline

A 20-year-old influencer claims he smashed his own face with a hammer to become more attractive. The same young man recently predicted the 2028 presidential election outcome based purely on which candidate looks better. And he's dancing in Miami nightclubs with white nationalists to songs praising Hitler.

Welcome to looksmaxxing—where beauty obsession meets political extremism.

From Skincare Tips to Social Dominance

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, started posting on obscure internet forums as a 15-year-old teenager. What began as discussions about skincare routines has morphed into something far more concerning. Peters now weighs in on presidential politics, arguing that California Governor Gavin Newsom would defeat VP JD Vance in 2028 for one simple reason: superior looks.

Looksmaxxing—combining "looks" and "maximizing"—represents an internet subculture dedicated to achieving aesthetic perfection through any means necessary. But this isn't just about looking good. It's about mogging—a term derived from "alpha male of group"—which means using superior appearance to dominate others socially.

Peters has admitted to taking testosterone at 14-15 years old to accelerate puberty, consuming methamphetamines to hollow out his cheeks, and literally hammering his face to strengthen his jawline based on the theory that broken bones grow back stronger.

The Attention Hijacking Machine

What makes this phenomenon particularly troubling isn't just the extreme body modification—it's the political pipeline it's creating. Peters gained mainstream attention after allegedly hitting someone with his Cybertruck while livestreaming on Christmas Eve. That incident catapulted him from obscure forums to viral fame.

Recently, he was filmed dancing in a Miami nightclub with Andrew Tate (the controversial manosphere influencer) and Nick Fuentes (a prominent white nationalist) to Kanye West's "Heil Hitler." The video went so viral that Miami's mayor had to issue a public apology.

Charlie Warzel, staff writer at The Atlantic, describes the content as "incredibly vapid" but warns against dismissing its impact: "These guys are extremely effective attention hijackers, and that is important."

The Incel-to-Extremist Pipeline

Looksmaxxing overlaps significantly with the involuntarily celibate (incel) community, which has documented links to violent extremism. The core belief system—that physical appearance determines all life outcomes and social worth—creates a breeding ground for resentment and radicalization.

The community has developed its own language: "framemogging" (having a better facial structure), "jestermaxxing" (being jovial to compensate for looks), and countless other terms that reduce human interaction to aesthetic competition.

Beyond Individual Obsession

This isn't just about personal insecurity or body dysmorphia—though those elements are certainly present. Looksmaxxing represents a worldview where social dominance is achieved through physical superiority, and where political power should flow to the most attractive.

The movement's political implications become clear when influencers like Peters start making election predictions based on candidate attractiveness, or when they provide platforms for extremist voices to reach younger audiences through the seemingly innocuous entry point of beauty advice.

The Mainstream Crossover

What's particularly concerning is how quickly this content moves from fringe forums to mainstream platforms. Peters' Cybertruck incident, his political commentary, and his associations with extremist figures all generate massive engagement across social media platforms.

Young men, particularly those struggling with social isolation or economic uncertainty, find themselves drawn into communities that promise transformation through extreme measures. What starts as advice about skincare or fitness can quickly evolve into more dangerous territory.