U of T researcher urges clinicians to ask about looksmaxxing

The University of Toronto said a commentary in the Journal of Adolescent Health urges clinicians to ask about looksmaxxing, an online trend that may expose some boys and young men to significant health risks. Looksmaxxing means trying to maximize physical attractiveness, often against rigid standards of male appearance.

Lead author Kyle T. Ganson, of the University of Toronto’s social work faculty, said looksmaxxing runs on a spectrum: normal grooming or exercise should not automatically be treated as a disorder. The riskier end includes starvation, steroid and peptide use, skin whitening and cosmetic procedures.

So the commentary asks clinicians who work with adolescent boys and young men to learn the terminology and ask about appearance concerns, body-change behaviours and motivations. If risks appear, the authors recommend steps that reduce harm rather than dismissing young people’s concerns.

The researchers said it is still unclear who is at greatest risk and what the short- and long-term health consequences are. For young people, they point to media literacy, which helps them spot manipulated images and question commercial motives.

Sources: University of Toronto