The Morning Edition
The Morning Edition
The Age and Sydney Morning Herald
'Looksmaxxing’ is the dark new trend and Australian men are leading it
19 minutes Posted Mar 22, 2026 at 6:00 pm.
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Show notes

"Looksmaxxing" is a trend on social media where, as the name suggests, men aim to "maximise" their appearance in sometimes extreme ways. There are tales of breaking legs in order to be taller, and talk of "bone smashing" – where young men claim they are hammering their faces to heighten their cheekbones.
Today, Becca Rothfeld, a writer with The New Yorker magazine, talks about where this movement came from and why so many of its stars are Australian.

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