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[quote=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? [/quote]

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