LOOKSMAXXING

What Does Looksmaxxing Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

Looksmaxxing means improving one's appearance to the maximum. It is the practice of improving your appearance to maximize physical attractiveness. It began as a fringe, male-only movement, but is now embraced by people of all genders and has mainstream overlap with skincare, fitness, and self-improvement.

More Details

Origins

Looksmaxxing originated in online self-improvement communities, especially forums like Reddit's r/looksmaxxing and earlier on incel-related message boards. It combines the word "looks" (as in physical appearance) with the slang suffix "-maxxing" (meaning maximizing to the greatest extent). Based on the the idea that physical attractiveness is the most important factor in social and romantic success, it was initially associated with embittered young men. However, it has since expanded to broader audiences, including females.

Contemporary Usage

The term looksmaxxing is often used humorously or semi-seriously to describe extreme or obsessive efforts to improve one's appearance. It can range from basic skincare routines, grooming, posture correction, and fitness routines, to more outlandish and extreme measures like mewing and plastic surgery.

Effective Looksmaxxing

Although looksmaxxing can slip into obsessive or unrealistic territory, approached realistically it is just about being "the best you can be." Some of the most effective looksmaxxing tactics are low-key and free. For example:

• Maintain a healthy body weight.
• Eat healthily.
• Hydrate sufficiently.
• Stick to a consistent sleep schedule.
• Use sunscreen.
• Practice maintaining a good posture.
• Exercise regularly.
• Pay attention to grooming.
• Dress well.

Image for Looksmaxxing

Looksmaxxing can slip into obsessive or unrealistic territory.

Summary of Key Points

Looksmaxxing
Definition:	Improving One's Appearance to the Maximum
Type:	Word
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

An Academic Look at Looksmaxxing

Looksmaxxing can also be considered a neologism. A neologism is a newly coined word or phrase that has recently come into use or has been created to describe a new concept, idea, or phenomenon. Neologisms can be created in any language and can take different forms, such as:

• A new meaning for an existing word (e.g., cloud, mood, tweet, viral).
• A completely new word (e.g., emoji, fomo, selfie).
• A new combination of existing words, or words with prefixes or suffixes (e.g., cloutrage, digital detox, oversharing, situationship).

Some neologisms become widely used and enter mainstream vocabulary, while others remain obscure or limited to specific communities or contexts.

Example of Looksmaxxing Used in a Text

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