Discussion What are your thoughts on looksmaxxing?

[ImpairedLowlife]

I know it's often seen as a joke or straight up harmful incel ideology/thing, but if you look past that, idea itself isn't bad at all, imo.
I'm not talking about hitting yourself with a hammer or believing looks are all that matters. But genuinely improving and optimizing your appearance if you're unhappy with it.

Personally, it's been a life changer for me more than anything else pretty much.
I've hated myself as long as I remember myself; never took pictures of myself and avoided all sorts of group pics, rejected all compliments I got, hated seeing myself in mirrors and constantly compared myself to other people who didn't have my issues. Nothing ever helped that, even random girls saying "I look good and should be modeling" or happy relationships where my ex. actually liked the way I looked a lot.

But after getting braces and seeing good progress here, improving hair, skin quality, overall grooming, growing a stubble (kind of always wanted one but couldn't grow it before using minoxidil) I still feel surprised at how much my life and self esteem had become. It still feels almost surreal looking at myself in the mirror and actually kind of liking what I see. And I'm pretty sure I'm not developing body dysmorphia, as with every improvement I do feel more and more confident and happy with myself.
Also it pushed me into becoming healthier; getting bloodwork done, taking vitamins, being physically more active etc. For me, seeing positive changes is a huge motivation to keep living and improving my life.

If you avoid harmful parts of that sphere (eg. comparing yourself to others and especially top models, doing dangerous and useless stuff to yourself, becoming a lookist) it could be great for self esteem and quality of life, especially if you're unhappy with the way you look.

Accepting yourself doesn't always work for everyone and everything. Realizing and fixing the issue might be better for some people.
If you're or anyone is happy with the way they look, it's great and I'm happy for them. But not everybody are.

Curious to hear y'all's thoughts on this one

 

[MonkeyButter]

I don't care what I look like. I have no love for myself or random people who might see me.

 

[lastappleonearth]

I mean, I've been working out for awhile now and I've significantly improved my body in the process and I'm pretty proud of it, but I wouldn't call it looksmaxxing, even though it technically fits the definition I guess. To me looksmaxxing just seems too excessive and in general it's pretty sad that it has become so popular in our generation now

 

[witchcraft]

I suppose it's another one of those things where it depends on how you define it.

If "looksmaxxing" means going to the gym or being more physically active, showering regularly, updating your wardrobe and wearing stuff that you personally like and feel confident in, keeping your skin healthy, grooming and just all around being more presentable, I don't see the issue.

Straightening your teeth with braces also seems to fall into a different category than, idk, plastic surgery or whatever.

Ultimately seems to boil down to a case-by-case basis imo. If the person genuinely feels healthier, is healthier (as shown by bloodwork or something else), and are realizing the potential best appearance that they were born with, generally speaking I don't think that's bad.

As per usual, what COULD and SHOULD be healthy improvements and lifestyle choices gets wrapped up in an ideology with a lot of negative baggage, dubious claims and promises. The same thing happened with the word incel, which originally was quite simply just to define someone, anyone who is involuntarily celibate, not the culture that sprung up around it. Just don't call it looksmaxxing, call it something else, call it "basic things that can help you feel a little better about yourself—YMMV."

 

[ImpairedLowlife]

I suppose it's another one of those things where it depends on how you define it.

If "looksmaxxing" means going to the gym or being more physically active, showering regularly, updating your wardrobe and wearing stuff that you personally like and feel confident in, keeping your skin healthy, grooming and just all around being more presentable, I don't see the issue.

Straightening your teeth with braces also seems to fall into a different category than, idk, plastic surgery or whatever.

Ultimately seems to boil down to a case-by-case basis imo. If the person genuinely feels healthier, is healthier (as shown by bloodwork or something else), and are realizing the potential best appearance that they were born with, generally speaking I don't think that's bad.

As per usual, what COULD and SHOULD be healthy improvements and lifestyle choices gets wrapped up in an ideology with a lot of negative baggage. The same thing happened with the word incel, which originally was quite simply just to define someone, anyone who is involuntarily celibate, not the culture that sprung up around it. Just don't call it looksmaxxing, call it something else, call it taking better care of yourself.

I wouldn't say much of what I've done is a "classic looksmaxxing", but it all improved the way I look, so I don't think it's a far off call.

As for healthy improvements, would you consider plastic surgeries or cosmetology treatments that aren't related to health issues excess if they are performed well and make person happier about the way they look?

The term is just really convenient to use and describe overall improvements of appearance, weather it's getting in shape, doing surgeries or learning to take better care of yourself.
I agree about negative baggage though.

 

[21Guns]

I suppose it's another one of those things where it depends on how you define it.

If "looksmaxxing" means going to the gym or being more physically active, showering regularly, updating your wardrobe and wearing stuff that you personally like and feel confident in, keeping your skin healthy, grooming and just all around being more presentable, I don't see the issue.

Straightening your teeth with braces also seems to fall into a different category than, idk, plastic surgery or whatever.

Ultimately seems to boil down to a case-by-case basis imo. If the person genuinely feels healthier, is healthier (as shown by bloodwork or something else), and are realizing the potential best appearance that they were born with, generally speaking I don't think that's bad.

As per usual, what COULD and SHOULD be healthy improvements and lifestyle choices gets wrapped up in an ideology with a lot of negative baggage, dubious claims and promises. The same thing happened with the word incel, which originally was quite simply just to define someone, anyone who is involuntarily celibate, not the culture that sprung up around it. Just don't call it looksmaxxing, call it something else, call it "basic things that can help you feel a little better about yourself—YMMV."

Improvement at which cost?
We're trivializing the fact that we should judge a difference as systematically bad feature.

If you look at my first posts, you'll see that i did't mentionned LM but well it was it.

Some things doesn't need to change for the pleasure of others.

I'm pretty much mitigated because well, if I'm talking about myself, i have a nose i disliked as a teenager, now sure i think it could be different in a better way but according to what?

If you go to middle east, nose like myself are super common and women would like masculine nose with character like myself. Same for the Asia.

But ofc in Europe it would be a different game tho listen : i had a pretty much taller GF and another super beautiful GF when i didn't isolated myself and though about my self image that much than now.

Because since a few time I did overthinked about it, kinda let opportunities flies, isolated myself in part because of the fact i granted tol much importance to how i looked in society.

I think the whole LM thing is toxic and would eventually lead to an higher depression & suicide rate BUT in the world we live in I understand.

Cultivate yourself, be intelligent, try your best but if you can stay away from toxic communities like that

 

[limenlux]

Becoming as handsome and well put-together as you can reasonably be is something that people will appreciate; doing the exact same thing while letting the term "looksmaxxing" escape your lips will turn you into Clavicular, and no one likes Clavicular, especially Clavicular.