← All guides Looksmaxxing terms Every word you'll see on forums and TikTok, from mogging and canthal tilt to HTN and Chadlite, explained in plain English.
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The basics Looksmaxxing Working to maximize your physical attractiveness, from sleep and skin up to surgery. -maxxing Forum slang Suffix for going all-in on one area: gymmaxxing, skinmaxxing, sleepmaxxing, moneymaxxing and so on. Softmaxxing Reversible, low-risk changes: skincare, grooming, haircut, fitness, style. Hardmaxxing Permanent or medical changes, like surgery, orthodontics or prescription drugs. Glow up A visible improvement in looks over time. Ascend / ascension Forum slang Becoming a noticeably better-looking, higher-status version of yourself. Where this site gets its name. PFL Forum slang Potential for looksmaxxing: how much someone could realistically improve. Genetic potential The best you could look given your genes, once health and effort are maxed out. Halo effect One strong trait makes people rate you higher on everything else. Facial harmony How well your features work together, rather than how each one scores alone. Dimorphism How strongly a face reads as typically male or typically female. Neoteny Youthful features, like big eyes or a small nose, that carry into adulthood. Lookism Treating people better or worse based on how they look. Mid Forum slang Average, unremarkable. Clavicular A well-known looksmaxxing streamer who helped push the trend and its slang mainstream. Looksmaxxer Someone actively working on their looks, or who spends time in looksmaxxing spaces. Maxxed out Forum slang Taken as far as it can go in one area. Little left to gain without changing something bigger. Pretty privilege Better-looking people tend to get treated a bit better: jobs, first impressions, benefit of the doubt. Real, but the average effect is modest. The wall Forum slang The forum idea that looks drop off a cliff at a set age. Aging is real; a fixed cliff isn't. DYOR Forum slang Do your own research. Check claims, especially about supplements and procedures, before you act on them. Ratings & tiers PSL scale Forum slang A loose 1–8 (sometimes 1–10) forum rating of faces. Named after three old forums. There's no fixed standard behind it. Sub3 / Sub5 Forum slang Rated below 3 or below 5 on the PSL scale. Normie Forum slang Someone in the average range. Split into low, mid and high tiers. LTN / MTN / HTN Forum slang Low-, mid- and high-tier normie: below average, average and above average but not quite attractive. Chadlite Forum slang A very attractive man who falls just short of the top tier on one or two features. Chad Forum slang Forum label for a man in the top tier of looks, roughly 8+ out of 10. Gigachad Forum slang Meme for an extreme, almost cartoonish top-tier man. Becky Forum slang Forum label for an average-looking woman. HTB / MTB / LTB Forum slang High, mid or low tier in how much someone's looks have improved or could improve. SMV Forum slang Sexual market value: a supposed score for how desirable someone is in dating. Opinion dressed up as a number. Looksmatch Forum slang Someone at roughly your level of attractiveness. Oofy doofy Forum slang A goofy-looking guy who still dates people rated far above him. Proof looks aren't everything. Subhuman Derogatory Forum label for the lowest tier. Dehumanizing; we don't use it here. Mogger Forum slang Someone who mogs others; a good-looking person. Model-tier Forum slang Looks good enough to model; above Chadlite in most forum rankings. -cel suffix Forum slang Forum shorthand for a flaw someone blames: heightcel, baldcel, wristcel and so on. Hypergamy Forum slang The idea that people date “up” in status or looks. A manosphere talking point, much debated. Mogging & status Mog / mogging Forum slang Visibly outshining someone next to you. From AMOG. AMOG Forum slang Alpha male of the group: the most dominant or best-looking guy present. Mogged Forum slang Being outshone by someone who looks better. Framemog Forum slang Outshining someone with your build: shoulders, height, frame. Halo / failo Forum slang One standout feature that lifts a face, or one weak feature that drags it down. Frauding Forum slang Hiding a trait with lifts, angles, lighting or filters. Aura farming Forum slang Trying to boost your presence and charisma. Rizz Forum slang Charm, especially when flirting. Jestermaxxing Forum slang Leaning on humor or clowning for status instead of looks. Forum slang Grey / greys Forum slang New or low-post members on looksmax.org, named after the grey usernames new accounts get. Often used dismissively. Greycel Forum slang 1) A grey-name newbie. 2) In dating talk, a guy whose struggles are a mix of looks and non-looks reasons. Incel Involuntary celibate: someone who wants a relationship but can't get one. The forums looksmaxxing grew out of. Truecel / fakecel Forum slang Someone whose dating struggles are mainly about looks, versus mainly about other things. Blackpill Forum slang The belief that looks are fixed and decide everything, so effort is pointless. Ascend's one rule says otherwise. Redpill Forum slang The manosphere idea of waking up to how dating supposedly really works. Y-pilled Forum slang Seeing yourself as more masculine than someone else. A spin on redpilled. Heightpill Forum slang The belief that height matters more for attractiveness than people admit. Cope Forum slang A comforting story people tell themselves, often about a product or trick that doesn't work. JFL Forum slang “Just f***ing laugh”: an ironic reaction to something absurd or grim. KHHV Forum slang Never kissed, hugged or held hands. Oneitis Forum slang An intense, one-sided fixation on one person as the only option. Normie / normies Forum slang Also used for people outside the forums who don't know the lingo. Rotting / rot Forum slang Wasting time doing nothing useful, like scrolling in bed. The .org Forum slang Shorthand for looksmax.org, the biggest looksmaxxing forum. Rate me Forum slang A post asking others to score your looks. Forum scores are harsh and inconsistent. Rope / roping Derogatory Dark forum slang for suicide. If you or someone you know means it, call or text 988 in the U.S., or your local crisis line. Face & features Canthal tilt The angle from your inner to outer eye corner. Positive means the outer corner sits higher. Hunter eyes Forum slang Deep-set, upturned eyes with little visible upper lid and a low brow. Prey eyes Forum slang Rounder, more exposed eyes. The opposite label to hunter eyes. UEE Upper eyelid exposure: how much upper lid shows when your eyes are open. Maxilla The upper jaw and midface bone. Forums obsess over “forward growth” of it. Forward growth How far forward the midface and jaw developed. Mostly set by adulthood. Gonial angle The angle at the back corner of your jaw. Smaller looks squarer. Ramus The vertical back part of the jawbone. A longer ramus gives a stronger jaw. FWHR Facial width-to-height ratio: cheekbone width compared with mid-face height. IPD Interpupillary distance: the space between your pupils. Midface ratio How long the midface is compared with its width. Compact midfaces get praised on forums. Philtrum The groove between your nose and upper lip. Buccal fat The cheek fat pad. Surgical removal is permanent. DBDR face Forum slang Dark, heavy brows with a recessed midface or chin. Lean face A face with low fat that shows bone structure. Mostly comes from low body fat. Scleral show White of the eye visible below the iris. Often reads as tired; can follow eyelid surgery. Tear trough The groove running from the inner eye corner down the cheek. Deep troughs look tired. Nasolabial folds The lines from the sides of your nose to the corners of your mouth. Facial thirds Splitting the face into upper, middle and lower thirds to judge balance. Golden ratio (phi) No evidence The number 1.618, often claimed to define beauty. Real faces rarely match it and research doesn't back it as a rule. Symmetry How closely the two sides of your face match. Small asymmetries are normal. Hollow cheeks A shadow under the cheekbones, mostly from low body fat. Submental fat Fat under the chin. Hides the jawline; drops with fat loss. Overbite / underbite Class II and Class III bites: upper or lower teeth too far forward. Can change face shape; orthodontists treat them. Forward head posture Head sitting ahead of your shoulders. Makes the neck and jaw look weaker in photos. Mouth breathing Breathing through the mouth. Linked to longer faces when it happens in childhood; it won't reshape an adult's bones. Methods Skinmaxxing Going all-in on skincare: SPF, retinoids, acne treatment. Gymmaxxing Training hard for a better physique and frame. Leanmaxxing Getting your body fat down to show facial bone structure. Hairmaxxing Working on your hair: cut, styling, and treating hair loss. Smellmaxxing Working on how you smell: hygiene and fragrance. Heightmaxxing Trying to look taller with posture, lifts or styling. Adult height only changes with surgery. Mewing No evidence Resting your tongue on the roof of your mouth. No good evidence it reshapes bone. Mastic gum / chewing No evidence Chewing hard gum to build jaw muscle. Builds bite strength, not a new jaw shape. NoFap No evidence Avoiding masturbation for claimed looks or energy benefits. Claims aren't backed by evidence. Caging Risky Cutting calories very hard to drop facial fat fast. Crash diets can backfire and harm your health. Bonesmashing Risky Hitting your face to “remodel” bone. Dangerous, causes injury and doesn't work. Peptides Short amino-acid chains. Some are proven skincare or prescription drugs; injectable “research” ones are unapproved. See What works. IQmaxxing Forum slang Working on mental sharpness alongside looks. Dermarolling Rolling tiny needles over skin at home. Gentler than clinic microneedling; hygiene matters. Skin cycling Rotating actives on different nights, like retinoid nights and recovery nights. Purge A short flare of breakouts when starting a retinoid. Usually settles in 4–8 weeks. Hard mewing Risky Mewing with heavy force. Linked to jaw pain, headaches and TMJ trouble. No evidence it changes bone. Bloatmaxxing / debloating Cutting facial puffiness: less sodium and alcohol, more sleep and water. Results are real but temporary. Tanmaxxing Risky Getting darker skin for more contrast. Sun and tanning beds age skin and raise cancer risk; self-tanner is the safe version. Posturemaxxing Fixing how you stand and sit so you look taller and more confident. Quick, free and visible. Surgerymaxxing Making surgery the main plan. See Hardmaxxing below, and max out the free stuff first. Chin tucks Pulling your chin straight back to train neck muscles and fix forward head posture. Face pulling No evidence Pulling on the upper jaw or cheekbones to bring the face forward. No good evidence it works in adults. Thumb pulling No evidence Pushing on the palate with your thumbs to widen the upper jaw. Unsupported in adults and can hurt teeth. Falim gum A firm Turkish gum used as a softer starting point before mastic. Builds chewing muscle a little, not bone. Jaw trainers Risky Silicone bite devices sold to build the jaw. Can strain the joint and cause pain, for little visible gain. Orthotropics No evidence A school of thought that oral posture and breathing guide face growth in kids. Disputed by mainstream orthodontics. Xenoestrogen avoidance No evidence Avoiding plastics and chemicals said to raise estrogen. The effect on looks or hormones is overstated. Minmaxxing Forum slang Chasing many small gains at once. Also used as a pun for being on minoxidil. Hair & body Minoxidil (minox) Over-the-counter treatment that slows hair loss and regrows some hair. Retinoid / tret Vitamin A skin treatments like tretinoin. Big results, takes months. V-taper Broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Frame Your skeletal build: shoulder width, clavicles, height. Clavicles Collarbones. Wider clavicles mean a wider frame. BMI Weight for height. A rough check that misreads muscular people. Dutasteride (dut) Stronger cousin of finasteride for hair loss. Prescription; more side-effect risk. Oral minoxidil Low-dose pill form of minoxidil for hair loss. Prescription; can cause body-hair growth and fluid retention. Mature hairline A normal slight recession at the temples after the teens. Not the same as balding. Temple recession Hair loss at the temples; often the first sign of male pattern loss. Shock loss Temporary shedding after a hair transplant or starting minoxidil. Gym & PEDs Cutting Eating in a calorie deficit to lose fat. Recomp Losing fat and building muscle at the same time. Easiest for beginners. Natty / fake natty Forum slang Natural (no steroids) vs. secretly using them while claiming to be natural. PEDs Risky Performance-enhancing drugs: steroids, SARMs, growth hormone and similar. TRT Testosterone replacement therapy, prescribed for medically low testosterone. Shuts down your own production and fertility. Cycle / blast / cruise Risky Steroid-user slang for a course of drugs, a high-dose phase and a lower maintenance phase. SARMs Risky Unapproved pills sold as “safer steroids”. Linked to liver injury and hormone shutdown. Gyno Breast tissue growth in men, a common steroid side effect. Ratings & tiers Tier Forum slang A rank band on the forum ladder, like LTN or Chadlite. Our face scan gives you one. Sub-LTN / Sub-LTB Forum slang Ascend's name for scores below 3.0, under LTN or LTB. Used in place of harsher forum words. Decile Forum slang Borrowed from statistics: which tenth of a group someone falls in. "Top decile" means top 10%. PSL god Forum slang Forum praise for someone seen as near the top of the scale. A status label, not a measurement. Mogging & status Facemog / stylemog Forum slang Winning the comparison on face alone, or on clothes and grooming alone. Chadfishing Forum slang Using heavily flattering, edited or borrowed photos online, then looking different in person. Aura Forum slang The overall impression you give before you speak: posture, confidence, body language, style. Face & features PCT / NCT Positive or negative canthal tilt: the outer eye corner sits higher (positive) or lower (negative) than the inner one. Neutral means level. Orbital rim The bony ring around the eye socket. Prominent rims make eyes look deeper set. Gonion The point at the back corner of the jaw where the vertical and horizontal parts meet. Visible gonions read as a square jaw. Lower third Bottom third of the face, from the base of the nose to the chin. Jaw and chin shape live here. Top third Upper third of the face, from hairline to brows. Hairline and brow ridge shape it. Under-eye area Everything below the lower lid: tear troughs, dark circles and bags. Sleep, allergies and genetics drive most of it. Alar base How wide the nostrils are at the bottom of the nose. Judged in proportion to the eyes and mouth. Ogee curve The smooth S-shaped line from cheekbone down to the cheek, seen from an angle. Associated with a youthful midface. Bideltoid width Shoulder width measured across the deltoid muscles. Unlike clavicle length, you can train it. Hair & body NW (Norwood stage) Shorthand for where your hairline sits on the Norwood scale. NW2 is a mature hairline; NW3 is clear temple recession. Crown Top and back of the head. A common place for early thinning that's hard to see yourself. Hair transplant (FUE / FUT) Moving follicles from the back of the head to thin areas. Permanent, costly, and works best alongside meds that keep the rest. Body fat percentage How much of your weight is fat. Around 10 to 15% for men and 18 to 24% for women shows definition. Face fat Fat hiding your bone structure. Only overall fat loss shrinks it; face exercises don't. Water retention Puffiness from salt, alcohol, stress or poor sleep. Often mistaken for fat and gone in days. Wrist size A rough sign of overall bone size. Mostly genetic. Hyperpigmentation Dark spots or patches from sun, acne or irritation. Sunscreen plus actives like azelaic acid or vitamin C fade it. Skin texture How smooth the skin surface looks. Retinoids, exfoliation and moisturizer improve it. Collagen The protein that keeps skin firm. It declines with age and sun; retinoids and sunscreen protect it. Supplements Creatine One of the best-studied supplements. Helps strength and muscle gain. The "face bloat" fear is mostly a myth. Vitamin D3 Worth taking if you're low, which many people are. Supports bones, immunity and normal testosterone. Zinc Matters for skin and hormones if you're deficient. Long-term high doses can deplete copper. Magnesium Helps sleep and recovery for some people. The glycinate form is gentle on the stomach. Ashwagandha An herb with modest evidence for stress and sleep. Can affect the thyroid; check with a doctor. Collagen peptides Oral collagen protein. Some small studies show better skin elasticity; evidence is still mixed. Beta carotene A plant pigment that can give skin a warmer, golden tone at high intake. Smokers should avoid supplements. Pre-workout A caffeine-based drink for energy before training. Watch the caffeine dose and don't take it late. Hardmaxxing terms Bimax Double-jaw surgery: moving the upper and lower jaw. The biggest facial hardmaxx. BSSO Surgery that moves the lower jaw forward or back. Genio Genioplasty: cutting and moving the chin bone. Rhino Rhinoplasty: nose surgery. Bleph Blepharoplasty: eyelid surgery. LL Risky Limb lengthening: breaking and slowly stretching leg bones to add height. MSE / MARPE Bone-anchored expanders that widen the upper jaw in adults. PEEK implants Custom-made plastic implants for jaw, chin or cheek, designed from a CT scan. HA filler Hyaluronic-acid filler: injectable gel that adds volume and can be dissolved. Hyaluronidase Enzyme that dissolves HA filler. Also the emergency treatment for filler blocking a blood vessel. Medical tourism Travelling abroad for cheaper surgery. Lower prices, but harder follow-up if things go wrong. Orthognathic surgery The medical name for jaw surgery, which includes bimax and BSSO. Done by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Facial implants Solid implants placed on the chin, jaw angles or cheekbones for permanent projection. Masseter Botox Botox in the chewing muscles to slim a wide lower face. Lasts a few months. The opposite of what most jaw-focused guys want. Some forum words are slurs aimed at women or racist terms. We know them, but we don't define or use them here. Ratings like PSL are community inventions, not science. Compiled from community glossaries, news coverage and dictionaries.