"Clavicular framemogged by ASU frat leader."
For the chronically online, this statement is more than just internet slang: It represents the pivotal moment when Kick streamer Braden Peters, known online as Clavicular, visited ASU and left with his online reputation in shambles.
Between using a racial slur on his live stream and a clip that has caused a social media frenzy over whether he hit someone with his car, Peters has received wide criticism online.
To his looks-obsessed fans, however, his downfall was when he entered a room with someone arguably more attractive than him.
Enter Varis Gilaj, nicknamed the "ASU frat leader" — although his actual involvement with any ASU frat is dubious. He went viral due to his comparatively larger frame.
"It's absurdism," Legend Barnes, a freshman studying music learning and teaching, said. "The whole virality of it comes from it being so stupid in nature."
As the looksmaxxing community becomes increasingly mainstream online, ASU is at its center.
"People will not take ASU seriously as an institution," Barnes said. "There's a lot of things that are actually really, really good with ASU, but I think it gets overshadowed by the small things and the stupid things that happen in and around campus."
READ MORE: Media literacy and the manosphere: Gen Z's lapse in critical thinking
The origins of looksmaxxing communities stem from places like incel forums and Reddit. The trend encourages men to go to extreme lengths for the sake of beauty.
One controversial looksmaxxing practice Peters has virally discussed is "bonesmashing," where people hit their face with a hammer in hopes of creating a sharper jawline.
"If you're doing these things to make yourself look better and the results work, then you'd probably be pretty happy with that," Gavin Bander, a freshman studying marketing, said.
Organized looksmaxxer groups use a lexicon of terms to describe attractiveness. According to one webpage called the Chad Lexicon, men fall into one of many categories, ranging from Subhuman, rated under 3/10 in attractiveness, to True Adam, having perfect physical physique.
Scrolling through a looksmaxxing forum reveals hundreds of posts daily, featuring questions such as "Why am I Subhuman?" and "What can I do to improve and what tier am I in? I am 14 years old."
To help young men "ascend", or move up in the aesthetic hierarchy, Peters gives one-on-one coaching to his fans, where he even offers payment plans for consumers. Fans can also join "Clavicular's Clan" for $49 per month, where he offers looksmaxxing courses, weekly Zoom calls and direct message access to Peters himself.
Peters has used drugs and injections to maintain his appearance, according to an interview with the New York Times.
Bander said he noticed the trend popping up on his feed and in the classroom. In a discussion post for a class assignment, Bander correlated the "ASU frat leader's" progress in the gym to effort in studying.
"This is similar to preparing for an exam in class, because by putting in hours of studying, lots of effort, your grades will improve," Bander said. "All ASU students should really strive to put the work in their classes so they could brain mog."
Some students have taken the obsession offline. A shrine was made for Clavicular outside the Barrett Residential Complex on the Tempe campus, while a memorial service was hosted on Feb. 15.
"I see it as a toxic community," Maura Scherf, a freshman studying film and media production, said. "They're essentially destroying their bodies and their mental health to ... adhere to the beauty standard for men."
Scherf saw Peters on the Tempe campus the day of the infamous framemogging incident with the "ASU frat leader." When she saw him in person, Scherf said she realized Peters is "just a guy" despite his internet persona.
"I can see how some people find him attractive, but when I think about what he's doing to his body and how he's affecting others, I find that unattractive," Scherf said.
Peters' looksmaxxing clan alone has over 1,000 paying clients, many of whom subscribe to his extreme methods.
Looksmaxxers rely on carefully curated rules and ratios to measure attractiveness. According to Official Chad Rankings, a website that ranks men, some desirable features include hunter eyes, equal facial thirds and a positive canthal tilt.
"Women have been going through this for years," Scherf said. "We're finally seeing it happen to men, and I think it's unhealthy."
READ MORE: The 'ASU Effect': Attending ASU is guaranteed to make you hotter
While looksmaxxing might just be joke-worthy content to some, it has had a real-life impact on college-aged men. For Barnes though, it's only a matter of time before people across campus are caught up in a new viral moment.
"Trends die," Barnes said. "A new meme will arise. Something else will happen at ASU, it always does."
Peters did not respond to a request for comment via email and social media.
Edited by Kasturi Tale, Henry Smardo, Sophia Braccio and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at ajanusee@asu.edu and follow @lexijanusee on X.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
Lexi Janusee is in her second semester with the State Press. She is a freshman studying Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in Theatre. Lexi also works for Blaze Radio, and is an on-air host for Open Mic.
