Even the least interested passer-by would acknowledge that Braden Peters is a strikingly handsome chap.
With his chiselled jaw and sculpted, gym-honed body, the 20-year-old influencer from Florida, who calls himself Clavicular, is obsessed with his appearance and spends much of his time on social media advising his growing army of followers that they, too, can dramatically improve their looks.
In fact, it is essential to do so to make a success of life, he insists. Good looks bestow a 'halo effect' on you, because attractive people do better in all manner of social settings, from romance to career opportunities and much more, he claims.
But it has always had a dark side. There is an ever-present element of poisonous misogyny among many looksmaxxers. Dangerous and extreme cosmetic 'treatments' have been taking place without medical supervision as young men go to extreme lengths to improve their looks.
They are encouraged by the fact that numerical scores are awarded among looksmaxxing communities for specific physical criteria, including sharp jawlines, striking bone structure, 'hunter' eyes which tilt upward towards the temple, as well as impressive muscularity and skin tone.
Clavicular previously altered his own appearance by hitting himself with a hammer to fracture bones in his face with the intention of 'improving' them.
What is truly terrifying is that looksmaxxing is now going supersonic, after being popularised and redefined on TikTok and other social media outlets.
This means the phenomenon is reaching new legions of discontented and highly impressionable young teenage boys, all of them predisposed to the 'manosphere' subculture represented by the likes of self-proclaimed 'misogynist' Andrew Tate, who is facing criminal and civil legal proceedings in several countries over alleged sexual and human trafficking offences (which he denies).
And there is another, desperately concerning aspect.
A trawl of some of these forums reveals not just rampant misogyny but also a horrifying number of vile pro-Nazi comments, including celebratory comparisons between the looksmaxxers' quest for physical perfection and Hitler's dream of creating an Aryan master race through eugenics.
There is no evidence that Clavicular himself espouses Nazi rhetoric, but he is certainly at the heart of the modern looksmaxxing phenomenon in the US where these views are regularly circulated.
With more than a million subscribers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other platforms, Clavicular's popularity has skyrocketed.
He is now offering $49-per-month (£36.50) 'advanced courses' for men who are – as he puts it – 'tired of being invisible to women, tired of getting rejected and tired of watching other guys who won the genetic lottery' notch up endless sexual conquests.
In a promotional video, Clavicular – who admits to wearing make-up and eyeliner to help achieve perfection – tells potential customers: 'I'm not going to sugarcoat this – you have been lied to. They told you [to] just be confident, just be yourself, looks don't matter – but you and I both know that's complete bulls***.
'You see it every day – attractive men get treated differently, they get the girls, they get the respect and they get the opportunities handed to them – while you get nothing.'
Clavicular is speaking from personal experience. By his own account, he started taking testosterone injections at the age of 14 after developing an interest in bodybuilding.
He eventually moved on to 'bone-smashing', which involves repeatedly hitting yourself in the face – 'whether it be with a hammer or your fists' – to inflict a series of 'microfractures'.
Although he now relies on his fists, Clavicular recently told an interviewer: 'I used to use a hammer, but my parents would go into my bathroom and take it away.'
Clavicular claims the broken bones 'grow back stronger' and the result is a 'more masculine, chiselled' profile.
He has admitted taking methamphetamine – the most commonly trafficked drug in the US – to suppress his appetite and keep his weight under control.
And while he already stands at 6 ft 2 in, he also considered a $100,000 (£74,000) leg-lengthening operation that would make him four inches taller – to enhance his 'presence' factor.
Various strategies – and a new language – came into being: 'starvemaxxing' (extreme fasting), 'whitemaxxing' (using moisturising products to make one's complexion appear paler) and 'roidmaxxing' (abusing anabolic steroids) were among the most popular.
Others included 'mewing' (placing your tongue against the roof of your mouth in a bid to improve jawline structure), as well as 'edging' and 'gooning' (which both involve avoiding climax during sexual activity to improve looks through elevated testosterone levels).
Clavicular recently admitted that his intake of synthetic testosterone has affected his reproductive system. 'Right now, I am infertile . . . I'm not able to have a kid right now,' he said.
Even though he insists there is a way of 'immediately' reversing the situation, it sounds like a supreme irony. Clavicular's quest for physical perfection has rendered him incapable – at least temporarily –of contributing to a 21st-century master race.
Poor lad. He's too young and naive to realise that you can look like a Greek God, but if you've got a shit personality and no joy in you, women avoid you like the plague.
Syl said
Jan 13 12:46 PM, 2026
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
Magica said
Jan 13 1:40 PM, 2026
Poor sod, she he stops, he will look rubbery and flabby.
Digger said
Jan 13 1:51 PM, 2026
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
That's enough to put you off
Red Okktober said
Jan 13 2:20 PM, 2026
LoL at hitting yourself in the face with a hammer to become better looking!
Anonymous said
Jan 13 2:40 PM, 2026
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
I didn't really notice his body or face for a while, I couldn't stop focusing on those undies. Socks and flip-floppy sandals are a big turn off for me.
I was once married to a body-builder, the self-absorption was off the scale.
Maddog said
Jan 13 5:04 PM, 2026
Most girls aren't that into looks anyway. Not to that degree. Eat right and go to the gym and you're body will be fine for 90% of them, and you don't want to be around the other 10% anyway..
And to hell with smashing your own face with a hammer..🙄
Syl said
Jan 13 7:13 PM, 2026
Anonymous wrote:
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
I didn't really notice his body or face for a while, I couldn't stop focusing on those undies. Socks and flip-floppy sandals are a big turn off for me.
I was once married to a body-builder, the self-absorption was off the scale.
Oooh, that's interesting, I wish you would share more.
Maddog said
Jan 16 8:40 PM, 2026
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
Would you have preferred a speedo and bare feet?
Digger said
Jan 17 11:00 AM, 2026
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
Would you have preferred a speedo and bare feet?
I think most blokes look better with their clothes on. Less is more.
Syl said
Jan 17 12:01 PM, 2026
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
Would you have preferred a speedo and bare feet?
Men in skimpy clothing posing and preening don't appeal to me no matter what they do or don't wear.
But seeing as he has gone to so much trouble to look like Adonis, maybe no socks and a loin cloth would have suited him better.
Barksdale said
Jan 17 12:01 PM, 2026
Red Okktober wrote:
LoL at hitting yourself in the face with a hammer to become better looking!
like f*cking for virginity
Barksdale said
Jan 17 12:03 PM, 2026
I've seen some of that guy's content online and he's a bit like a younger version of Andrew Tate.
The cruelty towards young women, and women in general, isn't a by-product of this content, but the point.
Digger said
Jan 17 1:34 PM, 2026
Barksdale wrote:
I've seen some of that guy's content online and he's a bit like a younger version of Andrew Tate.
The cruelty towards young women, and women in general, isn't a by-product of this content, but the point.
I think he's the poster boy for incels
Maddog said
Jan 17 2:16 PM, 2026
Digger wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
Would you have preferred a speedo and bare feet?
I think most blokes look better with their clothes on. Less is more.
There was a Seinfeld episode about that I think..
The male body doesn't look nearly as attractive as the female body when uncovered..
Maddog said
Jan 17 2:18 PM, 2026
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
Would you have preferred a speedo and bare feet?
Men in skimpy clothing posing and preening don't appeal to me no matter what they do or don't wear.
But seeing as he has gone to so much trouble to look like Adonis, maybe no socks and a loin cloth would have suited him better.
Like Jason Momoa?
Magica said
Jan 17 6:00 PM, 2026
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
Would you have preferred a speedo and bare feet?
Men in skimpy clothing posing and preening don't appeal to me no matter what they do or don't wear.
But seeing as he has gone to so much trouble to look like Adonis, maybe no socks and a loin cloth would have suited him better.
Like Jason Momoa?
I like Jason Momoa, especially in Game of Thrones.
Syl said
Jan 17 7:15 PM, 2026
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
Would you have preferred a speedo and bare feet?
Men in skimpy clothing posing and preening don't appeal to me no matter what they do or don't wear.
But seeing as he has gone to so much trouble to look like Adonis, maybe no socks and a loin cloth would have suited him better.
Like Jason Momoa?
He is more caveman than Adonis.
Digger said
Jan 17 10:26 PM, 2026
Magica wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
Maddog wrote:
Syl wrote:
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
Would you have preferred a speedo and bare feet?
Men in skimpy clothing posing and preening don't appeal to me no matter what they do or don't wear.
But seeing as he has gone to so much trouble to look like Adonis, maybe no socks and a loin cloth would have suited him better.
Like Jason Momoa?
I like Jason Momoa, especially in Game of Thrones.
Shame he's some other bugger else's Sun and Stars.
He goes to all that trouble, then poses in dodgy undies and socks.
That's enough to put you off
I was once married to a body-builder, the self-absorption was off the scale.
And to hell with smashing your own face with a hammer..🙄
Oooh, that's interesting, I wish you would share more.
Would you have preferred a speedo and bare feet?
I think most blokes look better with their clothes on. Less is more.
Men in skimpy clothing posing and preening don't appeal to me no matter what they do or don't wear.
But seeing as he has gone to so much trouble to look like Adonis, maybe no socks and a loin cloth would have suited him better.
I've seen some of that guy's content online and he's a bit like a younger version of Andrew Tate.
The cruelty towards young women, and women in general, isn't a by-product of this content, but the point.
I think he's the poster boy for incels
There was a Seinfeld episode about that I think..
The male body doesn't look nearly as attractive as the female body when uncovered..
Like Jason Momoa?
I like Jason Momoa, especially in Game of Thrones.
He is more caveman than Adonis.
Shame he's some other bugger else's Sun and Stars.