Clavicular?

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure if this is the right forum, but I’m hoping other parents might have perspective.

I have a 16-year-old son who has recently become very into this internet personality called Clavicular. At first it seemed harmless, workouts, protein shakes, “self-improvement.” I’m not anti-fitness. In fact, I was glad he was off video games and doing push-ups in his room.

But it’s evolved into something more ideological. He talks about “aesthetic hierarchy” and “ascension” as if they’re real academic concepts. The other night at dinner he critiqued his father’s jawline. Completely straight-faced. Over spaghetti.

I made the mistake (or perhaps the responsible choice?) of reading the New York Times article below and watching a few clips on YouTube. I genuinely cannot tell whether this person is serious or doing some elaborate bit. My son, however, seems to be taking it at face value.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/style/clavicular-looksmaxxing-braden-peters.html

He's discussed politics entirely in terms of appearance, ranking public figures like JD Vance and Gavin Newsom based on bone structure instead of policy. He wasn’t being ironic. He reached the right conclusion, in my opinion, but it was still alarming to think this kind of thinking is influencing thousands (potentially millions?) of young males like my son. What's also rattled me is that he seems to keep company with some pretty abhorrent people on the far right even though his own content seems mostly apolitical, with the exception of Vance getting "mogged" by Newsom.

I’m less worried about vanity (teen boys flexing in mirrors is nothing new) and more worried about the selfish worldview underneath it, this idea that worth is measurable in angles and proportions. My son has always been kind and thoughtful. I don’t want him internalizing a framework that reduces people, including himself, to looks.

Has anyone else dealt with this particular corner of the lookmaxer internet? Did it burn out on its own? Did you limit access? Lean into media literacy conversations?

[Anonymous]

He needs much less screen time.

[Anonymous]

That's one of the weirdest things I've ever read in the NYT. I'd be very concerned about kids who are into that. Toxic.

No experience, but lots of sympathy for you op.

[Anonymous]

Clav is horrible with really big health issues around his obsession with appearance (drug use, orthorexia, etc). I would be pretty concerned about someone who admires him and worried about what length your son might be willing to go to for appearance sake. My teen kids know who he is but laugh about his existence and efforts because he is so over the top

[Anonymous]

Your son is actively being red-pilled

[Anonymous]

So your saying your cortisol spiked because your son mogged you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So your saying your cortisol spiked because your son mogged you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clav is horrible with really big health issues around his obsession with appearance (drug use, orthorexia, etc). I would be pretty concerned about someone who admires him and worried about what length your son might be willing to go to for appearance sake. My teen kids know who he is but laugh about his existence and efforts because he is so over the top

Didn’t he do meth to like try to lose weight or something? The guy is not right in the head.

[Anonymous]

Young men have always been mostly terrible. I would just leave it alone.

[Anonymous]

I think Clavicular is great because he looks weird and miserable.


The other thing I’m most struck by when I look at these guys is how much they look like aging movie stars and rich ladies.

Women have been doing all this and worse to ourselves for ages. So I mean, who am I to judge. It is making me rethink a facelift at some point, so I am grateful for that nudge.

[Anonymous]

Oh goodness . . . I lost brain cells reading that article. That racist creep can have his "male space."

[Anonymous]

Therapy. ASAP.

[Anonymous]

I also read the article and I have a 17 year old boy who is into working out and trying to look better for girls. Luckily he is also quite progressive and views this whole thing with a bit of disdain, but I also know some of it has to be seeping into his brain.

I think it's a daily deprogramming of everything that is being fed to these teens on the internet. It would be GREAT to just disappear the phones and the technology but that isn't a reasonable solution. (By the way, Clavicular is funded by Peter Thiel)

I think you have to really engage in conversations that push back on this worldview without just lecturing him that what he is into is wrong. It all depends on your son and his friends and such, but for example -- I have pointed out that one of the most "popular" kids in my son's grade is not at all conventionally good-looking - but he has charm and charisma and girls are drawn to that. We've talked about doing meaningful things, on a day to day basis and as your life's work (I've starting showing him movies that make this point so I'm not the one pounding on it, i.e. things like Erin Brockovich or Spotlight).

The only way to push back against this bullshit is to do it every day, subtly and sometimes not so subtly, and have lots of conversations. I wish there was a way to block horrible people from our kids' instagram feeds etc but there really isn't.

Now we boy moms know what girls moms have been dealing with forever -- for some reason lately I've been fed up a bunch of influencers who glamorize anorexia and it's absolutely horrific.

[Anonymous]

OP required viewing for anyone mentioning "Clavicular"

Ignore the thumbnail, the first several minutes are all about him and all the maxxing/mogging BS

[Anonymous]

Clav was arrested! Great role model.