Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year was ‘polarisation’; Oxford’s was ‘brain rot’. Both could have just as easily been ‘-maxxing’ – the one suffix this year who has mogged them all. Once confined to incel message boards, the meaning of its origin, looksmaxxing, is in the name: maximising one's appearance. While the premise may seem similar to the entire skincare and beauty industry itself (who doesn’t want to look their best?), it’s become an umbrella term for what people are calling ‘pick me’ men online that encompasses everything from simple grooming to extreme (and dangerous) transformation attempts. So, in 2024, have we finally maxxed out on ‘looksmaxxing’?
The maxxing universe is split into ‘softmaxxing’ (lifestyle changes like eating better, exercising, using a...
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