Insecurities during your teen years are nothing new, and neither are the people who take advantage of it. “Looksmaxxing” is the new TikTok trend targeting and preying on teenage boys’ issues with their physical appearance. It has become its own space on the app where people, usually older, post about different techniques to change their facial appearance and become more attractive. Looking for a quick fix, these kids are vulnerable to the influence of people telling them these methods work, and they try it for themselves.
The ultimate goal of these techniques is to reshape the face and create finer features. Mewing, done by placing the tongue against the palate, is the most popular technique shared by Looksmaxxing creators. Its purpose is to give the appearance of a more defined jawline, which most methods aim for. With this in mind, there have been a variety of different exercises. Along with stronger jawlines, hunter eyes are a desired feature for a more attractive look; to achieve this, many people share and try different massaging styles to redefine their eyes. This and their recommendations for getting better sleep and fostering a more positive and confident mental state seem to be the only approaches that can be done without charge. Attempting other methods usually means buying the recommended products or becoming a member of one of their online courses.
A widely recommended product in and out of the Looksmaxxing community is the gua sha stone, used to mold their jaws and eyes. They also recommend that followers buy “fitness chewing gum” for jaw exercises, specifically from Jawliner. The chewing gum is interchangeable with the jaw exercisers, which work the jaw in the near same motion and area. There are also ways in which the looksmaxxing creators seek to gain money directly from their followers. Online courses have increased in popularity over the years; you can easily find a course on anything, even looksmaxxing. When the term “mogging” was created, a joke centering on the fictional “Mogwarts” shortly followed. TikTok user K. Shami took this to another level when he made an online course by the name Mogwarts where you can ask questions, receive advice, and access to improvement textbooks. To join, you need to pay a $40 membership or become a part of their free Discord server with over 7,000 members.
Despite how strange and malice this all may already seem, this is the brighter side of the situation. What started as a joke quickly became a reality as impressionable youngsters took what creators shared as real advice. TikTok was flooded by videos recommending and showing tutorials on bonesmashing; it is taking a hard object, rock, hammer, machine gun, etc., and giving yourself numerous blows to the face in hopes of your bones recovering into a new facial structure. Although many of these videos can seem like satire right off the bat, they can catch the eye of a vulnerable adolescent willing to try anything, no matter the cost. Videos by TikToker maxxedmenco are great examples of a creator who seems to take advantage of his susceptible viewers by endorsing bone smashing while promoting his brand to gain money.
But does any of this work?
While mewing can cause a temporary effect where the jawline becomes slightly more prominent, there is no research to suggest constant mewing would cause any long-term effects on your natural appearance. Even orthodontists such as Eric Davis, who claims to have been trained under Dr. John Mew, aren’t “advocates for the DIY style of mewing.” According to the American Association of Orthodontists, it can lead to undesired effects such as disrupted tooth alignment, a worsened bite, and speech issues. It may require treatment to resolve negative results.
Fitness chewing gum or jaw exercisers aim purely to work out the jaw area to achieve a stronger and more defined jawline. While this may seem like the most probable method for positive results, Healthline would disagree. The chewing of gum, whether it’s regular or Jawliners, only strengthens the tongue and cheeks, without visible outcomes for the jaw, except maybe a TMJ injury. According to Shape, experts say jaw exercisers cause increased muscle rather than a slimmer face or reduction of face fat, which would allow for a visible jawline. This, however, can sometimes be the look that teen boys may be swayed towards wanting to achieve. Jaw exercisers, too, are not exempt from causing harm; it can lead to jaw misalignment and TMJ disorder.
The practice of bonesmashing is a controversial practice amongst the members of the looksmaxxing community. Even websites that share and support other various methods, such as mewing. coach, renounce the practice, and the possibility of any benefits from bone smashing. All research surrounding this process is written to warn and play against people who may want to try it for themselves. The University of Nebraska Medical Center addresses Wolff’s law theory, in addition to the idea that injuring their bones will only make them stronger. Rather than reforming your face and healing it into your desired look, incorrect healing can lead to facial deformation. Multiple harmful strikes to the face will also cause bleeding, lesions, and problems with the eyes and surrounding tissue.
Content like this can be dangerous, especially when it is so widely spread and available. It puts young and vulnerable adolescents in harm’s way. Children who are easily persuaded and seeking any bit of hope would be willing to give anything a chance if it meant fitting in or feeling better about themselves. Instead of inflicting insecurities about their appearances, social media communities should work for a more positive and accepting future for these young kids.
