The Dark Logic of LooksMaxxing - Dr Debra Soh
In a Nutshell
Gen Z is aggressively pursuing plastic surgery and looksmaxxing to exaggerate sexually dimorphic traits—women chase peak fertility aesthetics like breast augmentations and facelifts, while men prioritize formidability signals such as jawline enhancements, height surgery, and fillers to dominate male rivals. This stems from intrasexual competition and status signaling (e.g., women's surgeries flaunt a provider's resources), but often backfires: procedures create unnatural caricatures, men prefer natural female beauty, and looksmaxxers chase male respect over female attraction, per studies showing formidability predicts sexual success better than pure attractiveness. Hypergamy pushes young men to beautify as a socioeconomic workaround, but true success demands wealth, popularity, and diligence over extreme mods.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Breast augmentation is very popular among Gen Z women, influenced by pornography. Labiaplasty is also common, with a study showing many young women feel self-conscious about their labia due to porn influence. Guys are getting filler injections into their penis to look bigger for sexual purposes.
Anecdote about housemate George's airplane joke: comparing penis size to a teeny tiny 175ml can of Diet Coke to make it look bigger, like a 330 or 355ml can.
Women under 30 are getting facelifts and upper eye lifts. Young women don't need extensive work as they lack signs of aging. Women aim to look like they're in their early to mid-20s, peak fertility age. Older women try to look younger; younger ones try to look older.
Men's peak fertility is very young, even illegal in some states. Men have a larger reproductive window with higher chromosomal abnormalities later, but women are more unforgiving.
Buccal fat removal removes cheek baby fat to look older, but faces naturally lose fat with age, leading to gauntness. People may need fillers later to replace removed fat. Example: fat removal before 24, then fillers after 28.
No judgment on adults getting procedures, especially in public-facing jobs due to pressure to look young. Concern is for really young people and men doing unnecessary work.
Young women (22-23) on TikTok look mid-30s or 40s after work.
Past female aesthetic (e.g., Jordy Shore, British Jersey Shore equivalent): fake tan, big hair, pinup style, tight suits, big boobs (augmented or not), painted-on aggressive brows, short tight dresses. Strong early 2010s aesthetic.
Past male aesthetic (until ~5 years ago): big muscles, fake tan, plunging V-neck, tight jeans, expensive watch, chains. Less focus on height.
Current signals are more extreme. Males: formidability - exaggerated cheekbones, jawline, height, dark brows. Less emphasis on tan, muscularity, or extreme muscularity.
Both sexes are caricatures of sexually dimorphic traits (Fisherian runaway): like stag with oversized antlers or peacock with ridiculous tail.
Next evolution: limb lengthening surgery, brows, cheekbones, mandible surgery.
For women, surgery equivalent to showing off expensive handbag: signals a man pays for it (designer titties, lips). Long nails and hair impractical, signal wealth, luxury, no hard labor.
Female intrasexual competition: shoes, bags. Men can't distinguish price differences; women can. Signals man's investment.
Women overboard with work to signal money/resources or paying man. Men typically dislike plastic surgery in women as it masks underlying health and fertility.
Tweet after Grammys: men love Sydney Sweeney, hate Sabrina Carpenter; women love Sabrina Carpenter, hate Sydney Sweeney.
Explanation: Sabrina Carpenter's presentation is gay/female-coded; Sydney Sweeney is natural, low-maintenance, male-coded beauty.
Plastic surgery hides reliable fitness cues.
Looksmaxxing men optimize for formidability (what other men respect), not women's attraction (intrasexual competition). Women may not find hyper-masculine looks more attractive; prefer slightly feminized face with masculinized body, not super jacked.
David Puts study: Women rated men's photos for attractiveness; men rated formidability (likelihood of beating in fight). One year later, male formidability ratings predicted sexual success; female attractiveness ratings had zero predictive power.
Looksmaxxers disregard women, focus on mogging other guys. Theory: pursuing formidability accidentally hits women's attractiveness bullseye.
Tattoos signal to scare male rivals more than attract women (some women like, some turned off).
Men project preferences onto women: men care more about looks/youth (correlates more with men's marital satisfaction).
Increases in male beautification offset inability to win socioeconomically via hypergamy. Young men without money/resources get hot instead.
Advice to guys: work away, get rich, get popular. Looks important but improve via diligence. Avoid hormones for bone structure.
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