In this week's episode, I explore the ties between TikTok's popular looksmaxxing trend and incel culture. I cover what looksmaxxing is, how it became popular among boys and young men, and the incel ideology that underpins this trend. 

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Timestamps:

3:27 What is looksmaxxing & why is it popular on TikTok?

8:40 What does incel mean?

11:33 Core beliefs of incels: appearance-based hierarchy, misogyny & pill theory

19:00 The ties between looksmaxxing & inceldom 

Resources:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240326-inside-looksmaxxing-the-extreme-cosmetic-social-media-trend 

https://www.tiktok.com/@syrianpsycho 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9780135/ 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45284455“ 

https://incels.wiki/w/Looks_theory 

https://incels.wiki/images/e/ee/Okcupid.png 

https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/male-messaging-curve.png 

https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/female-messaging-curve.png 

https://www.tiktok.com/@syrianpsycho/video/7091686104650353966?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6899384367418131969 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/06/style/looksmaxxing-tik-tok-dillon-latham.html 

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/books/review/angry-white-men-by-michael-kimmel.html#:~:text=Failing%20to%20concede%20this%2C%20men,greater%20gender%20and%20racial%20equality. 

Solea, A.I., Sugiura, L. Mainstreaming the Blackpill: Understanding the Incel Community on TikTok. Eur J Crim Policy Res 29, 311–336 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-023-09559-5 

 https://looksmax.org/threads/complete-guide-to-psl-ratings.379179/

https://www.vice.com/en/article/7xmaze/learn-to-decode-the-secret-language-of-the-incel-subculture 

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/incels-in-australia-the-ideology-the-threat-and-a-way-forward/