If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ve probably come across a video of a young, square-jawed influencer calling himself Clavicular. He has become the face of an internet subculture called looksmaxxing, in which men do almost anything — like taking steroids and hormones or bashing their jaws with a hammer — to try to become more handsome.

In this episode, Natalie Kitroeff talks with reporter Joseph Bernstein about the world of looksmaxxing and how what might seem like a fringe phenomenon is actually the culmination of a digital culture that rewards physical perfection with status and algorithmic power.

On Today’s Episode

Joseph Bernstein covers digital subcultures for the Styles desk at The New York Times.

Background Reading

Handsome at Any Cost

Young Men Seek Answers to an Age-Old Question: How to Be Hot

The Suffix That Tells Us to Ruthlessly Optimize Everything

Photo Credit: Cassidy Araiza for The New York Times

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