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Clavicular himself has said he tried “bonesmashing”, or putting a hammer to his jawline to regrow his bones and, literally, obtain a more chiselled shape. But why have such methods found a sizable audience?

Who is Clavicular?

Clavicular’s online name comes from clavicle, the collarbone, which is among the several body parts that the looksmaxxing community focuses on as markers of aesthetic beauty.

Peters grew up in New Jersey. He first came across looksmaxxing content during Covid-19, at a time when he, like many young people, spent considerable time online on platforms like TikTok. He gradually developed an online persona that shared the philosophy and practical methods behind looksmaxxing, amassing a following along the way. He has over a million followers on Instagram today.

Notably, the latest report of court charges is not the first time he has faced such allegations. Earlier, CBS 4 Miami reported that an 18-year-old woman accused Peters of battery, fraud and sexual misconduct.

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And what is looksmaxxing?

The broader trend is said to have existed for over a decade, but gained widespread attention through social media websites and forums like Reddit and TikTok in the 2020s.

Looksmaxxing argues that success in life is a result of one’s appearance, which must fit a certain ‘type’ to be considered good-looking, and can be changed through perseverance. That type is generally White, tall, muscular men with a chiselled jawline.

What is interesting about looksmaxxing is how it focuses on men improving their appearance, though such practices have long been expected of women. And while many men aiming to looksmaxx say it is aimed at improving their own self-perception, others also cite their romantic and sexual prospects as reasons for it.

It has grown popular as other trends focusing on young men have emerged online, together comprising the “manosphere”. This includes “involuntary celibates (or incels)” who similarly glorify one type of aesthetic ideal, connecting it to higher chances of attracting women. Men on loosely regulated online forums often rank each other in terms of their looks, as well as women, and fixate on body measurements.

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A well-known manosphere influencer is Andrew Tate, who also later came under investigation for crimes against women.

More broadly, these overlapping trends and communities have been linked to enabling factors, including the rise of the internet, niche online communities and social media. All have contributed to a sense of constant comparison of one’s achievements and superficial image with others. The anonymity that the internet lends is also a factor, allowing people to ridicule others or give tips and advice with little accountability.

These trends have risen as many men have found grievances with feminism, often blaming women’s changing social roles for their problems.

Political trends may have a role to play, too. One paper from researchers at EPFL, a public research university in Lausanne, Switzerland, found a large overlap between the user bases of new alternative-right movements and the manosphere. Right-wing ideologies have also grown in popularity during the period that looksmaxxing has. In general, too, manosphere ideas often push conservative ideas of men as providers, disparage feminism, and promote racial supremacy.

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The ideology has also inspired negativity and anger among its followers, essentially stating that minus these looks, one is worthless and has no real prospects in life. In the West, men believing in such ideas have at times engaged in violence towards women and the broader society. In 2018, a Canadian man killed 10 people when he rammed his van into a crowd in Toronto.

Why has looksmaxxing been criticised?

One criticism comes from a scientific perspective. Looksmaxxers can engage in dangerous acts, including but not limited to elongating their legs to increase their height, and injecting peptides and other substances without medical approval.

Clavicular told GQ that he began injecting testosterone he’d ordered from the internet at age 14, “with no parental or medical oversight”. “Now his body can’t naturally produce it; he believes he’s currently infertile,” the report said.

But the more fundamental criticism is that the ideology is based on a subjective, lonely and bleak view of the world and oneself. In the West, a “crisis of masculinity” has often been touted as an explanation, where men are unable to find healthy role models to emulate amid evolving gender roles in society. In the absence of such models, it is argued, people making pseudo-scientific claims and possibly pushing their own political agenda have come to fill the gap, with potential for causing long-term harm.