Men’s masculinity is an ever-changing concept. Every year, concepts and ideas of what it means to be a ‘man’ fluctuate. From 2022, with the rise of toxic masculinity and misogynistic culture, promoting men to be dominant, physically active, rejecting modern society and so called ‘liberalism.’ Unfortunately, these concepts are still prominent, but we are seeing a shift towards what it means to be a ‘man.’Andrew Tate and his posse of misogynists have taken the back burner. With this came a rise in blackpill and looksmaxxing culture that has become progressively more dominant. Like Andrew Tate, a similar role model popped up, this time by the name of Clavicular. Popularizing the concept of black pill and looksmaxxing, ‘Clavicular’ emphasizes the need to look good, highlighting the fact that appearance dictates worldly interactions. The ideas, at a surface level, seem to be beneficial, but at a deeper level, the long -term repercussions for this ideology will be long-term and incredibly detrimental for the mental health of the youth.
The ‘blackpill’ community believes that attractiveness is fixed at birth and some are doomed to never be conventionally attractive. Within this community, they have developed rankings to classify people based on their appearance. Using a Physical Social Logic (PSL) scale, the community is extremely selective in whom they deem attractive or even who they even consider decent looking. Their ranking system consists of Sub 5 (the lowest of the low, considering them subhuman), low-tier normie, mid-tier normie, high-tier normie, chadlite, and chad (what they deem to be the very best, extremely attractive and genetically blessed). Ranking people based on appearance is not a new concept; in fact, it is a concept that has been implemented in our society. However, the rigidity of this system and basing everything purely on genetics leads to extreme circumstances.
The idea that one’s self-worth is prescribed simply at birth is extremely black and white and lacking any depth, especially considering the belief that looks validate your worth within the blackpill community. Due to this pre-determined worth and appeal at birth, the blackpill community takes extreme measures to enhance their features, seeing it as the only way to escape this belief. One of the most unhinged measures that is incredibly common within the community is a term called ‘bonesmashing.’With this technique, many take hammers and slowly smash their upper cheekbones over time to hollow their cheeks, being the only way to change their facial structure. This is not the farthest this community has gone to enhance their looks and break away from the genetic curse placed upon them. In fact, the looksmaxxing community pushed for the usage of peptides, a chain of amino acids being injected into the body to change certain aspects of one’s appearance. The most popular being GHK-Cu, an injectable peptide used for anti-aging. While steroid usage itself is becoming increasingly popular, the usage of peptides has skyrocketed. I don’t necessarily disagree with their usage, in fact, I see them as a healthier version of steroids with minimal side effects. The issue derives from the insecurity it brings upon young men and a sense of desperation, seeing these chemicals as their only escape from their insecurities.
The increasing concern over appearance and the need to take extreme measures toward increasing appeal for the opposite gender will be the downfall of the already exponentially growing men’s mental health issue. Men’s mental health is already a delicate issue, increasing pressue on the younger generation of men is quite concerning. The betterment of young men is one thing, but the ideas pushed by these social media influencers and tight-knit internet groups are simply disgusting, not realizing the repercussions the pressure to look better brings. The constant struggle over one’s looks and the fear of looking unappealing is an issue that hits quite close to home. Far before the popularization of blackpill, I had struggled with my appearance, wanting to look better and get the compliments my peers received. Seeing this being placed onto teenagers my age, or even younger, makes me reminiscent of my younger self who struggled with similar concepts. With social media as a whole, it seems children are being forced to grow up far quicker than usual, and worrying about their looks further propels them out of their childhood.
As manhood continues to change and evolve, the importance of critical thinking is vastly important. The next generation of men are being shaped as we speak, so the effects of this toxic way of thinking should not be disregarded, but rather it should be reshaped. Rather than focusing so much on appearances, men should be taught how to be better, mentally and physically. Men should be taught how to express their emotions, how to be disciplined, treat others with respect, and not take excessive measures to change their appearance. An important lesson needs to be learned, change what you can, and learn to accept what you can’t.
