College students navigate line between self-care, self-critique with 'Looksmaxxing' trend

What begins as a swipe on TikTok can spiral into obsession — or empowerment — depending on how you look at it.

By Alex Burns

It all starts with a swipe.

One video shows a guy reshaping his jawline with facial exercises.

Another breaks down “ideal” eye spacing and hunter eyes.

A third offers tips on how to get a perfect nose.

It’s all part of the viral TikTok trend known as "looksmaxxing," a growing movement where self-improvement meets relentless self-critique and unrealistic perfection.

On college campuses, students are absorbing this content daily.

For some, it's motivating. For others, it's exhausting.

As the pressure to perfect your appearance grows more intense, students are left questioning whether they’re becoming their best selves or losing sight of who they really are.

“Physical appearance, like anything, is a tool,” said Joshua Ford, a counselor at the College of Charleston who specializes in life balance challenges, self-esteem and self-worth issues. “It can be used positively or negatively.”

To him, the difference lies in intention, whether grooming comes from a place of self-care or self-rejection.

“There’s a difference between caring for yourself… and running from who you are out of self-hatred.”

Blurred boundaries

That blurred boundary between helpful and harmful is what makes looksmaxxing so complex

for students.

“Looksmaxxing often goes beyond that,” said Luca Robins, also a student at the College of Charleston. “Some people in the community take it to an extreme… where it’s no longer about basic grooming but about reaching a certain standard that isn’t always realistic.”

The pursuit of these standards, students say, isn’t always conscious. It starts with self-care—and sometimes ends in obsession.

“Self-care is great, but there’s a limit to how much you can do,” Robins added. “Beyond that, it’s probably not healthy in the long run.”

Others, like TJ Messina, don’t see a deeper issue.

“Nah, it’s a modern version of self-care,” he said. “It does not go deeper at all.”

But Ford believes the trend reveals more than it hides.

“The trend seems rooted in dissatisfaction — a sense of being lost, lonely, or isolated — and trying desperately to improve yourself to be more appealing and gain self-worth,” he said.

Messina views looksmaxxing as a symptom of something internal.

“It often stems from something deeper and unaddressed, and manifests in a negative way," he added.

The mental toll can be quiet but constant.

“It creates unrealistic beauty standards,” said Luca Robins.

Social media’s curated perfection has become the default for what people expect to see and be.

“Yeah, at times,” he said. “You see people who look a certain way, and it’s easy to think, ‘Oh, I wish I had that.’”

That internal comparison doesn’t always fade, even when students know the images aren’t real.

“If they’re setting impossible beauty standards, then it can negatively affect people’s self-esteem,” Robins said.

Personal introspection needed

Messina sees the results as mostly fixed.

“There could be an invisible line with that,” he said. “If you’re a good-looking guy, you’re a good-looking guy. But if you’re a bad-looking guy, it might not work.”

So how should students respond when it feels like everyone is leveling up their appearance?

Ford advises introspection.

“If it’s from a healthy place, great,” he said. “If it’s not, try to uncover the root need.”

Long-term change, Messina added, doesn’t start in the mirror.

“Looksmaxxing might help in the short term, but real change starts internally. That’s where the focus should be.”

Luca Robins encourages students to reframe the trend around health, not perfection.

“If you want to do looksmaxxing, focus on the healthy aspects — work out, eat well, and take care of yourself,” he said.

And more importantly, don’t stress what can’t be changed.

“Try not to get too wrapped up in things you can’t change,” he said.

The TikTok effect

Then there’s TikTok — the trend’s biggest amplifier.

“The danger and convenience of TikTok is its brevity,” said Ford. “It’s quick and consumable, which sacrifices depth.”

Short videos can make major transformations look easy, even overnight.

“When you pair something shallow like beauty with something short-form like TikTok, it’s not a great mix,” Ford said.

And the content isn’t exactly organic.

“Most of the content… includes models with extreme lighting, makeup, and filters that make them look perfect,” Robins said. “A lot of young guys are trying to look like male models, even though it seems unrealistic at times.”

Still, these videos rack up millions of views — and can leave students questioning how they measure up.

Ford offers one final piece of advice — don’t believe everything you see or everyone who’s giving advice.

“Be skeptical of people holding themselves up as experts,” Ford said. “Sometimes, the people who give the most advice are the ones who need it most.”

And if it all gets too loud, he offers one line that might help quiet it: “An empty grogger makes the most noise."

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