It is so interesting to me to see the rise of “looksmaxxing” because it is so clearly and obviously just the exact same things the beauty and diet industries have been doing for years, just rebranded to be “for men”.
People like Bethany Frankle and Tyra Banks have been preying on the insecure forever. Women and teenage girls have been falling victim to it for decades. It makes sense that, with those markets fully saturated, they’d move on to the next most insecure group around- incels. The incel movement is built on a foundation of insecure men, it’s the main draw
I totally saw this coming, actually, I’m just surprised how fast it was. Incels are a very standoffish group, but it does make sense, because they’re also very fanatic. As long as someone looks like them (or what they want to be) and talks like them (“___maxxers”, “chud”, “high/low cortisol”) and says what they’re thinking, they’ll follow them to the ends of the earth.
It’s the exact same tactics and patterns women have been falling into for years now. You’re a teenage girl, and you go on TikTok, and a beautiful girl tells you how if you just use this serum or get these implants or do this simple diet, you can be worth something
Except now you’re a lonely college age boy and you go on Reddit and there is a handsome man, and he’s promising you that if you just do this exercise or take these steroids or get this surgery, someone might love you
I don’t look down on people who fall into this trap, I really don’t. My issues with incel culture are separate to my empathy for anyone who is being preyed on by these horrible people. And it is predation, it’s disgusting and horrible and anyone who pushes it is absolutely evil. It’s all designed to hit you where it will hurt the most, and I wish it didn’t happen at all
