In the shadowy corners of the internet, a subculture obsessed with physical perfection has thrust a 20-year-old content creator named Clavicular into the spotlight, blending extreme self-modification with ties to controversial figures and even political commentary. Braden Peters, who goes by the online moniker Clavicular, first gained widespread attention after an alleged incident on Christmas Eve 2023, when he reportedly struck someone with his Tesla Cybertruck while live-streaming. The event, which unfolded in an unspecified location, marked a turning point for Peters, propelling him from obscurity on niche forums to interactions with influencers like Andrew Tate and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Peters' rise coincides with the mainstream emergence of looksmaxxing, a movement dedicated to achieving aesthetic ideals through drastic measures. According to a recent Vox podcast episode of "Today, Explained," hosted by Noel King, the subculture originated on obscure message boards where young men, starting as teenagers, share tips on body modifications to enhance their appearance. Charlie Warzel, a staff writer for The Atlantic and host of the podcast Galaxy Brain, explained in the episode that looksmaxxing overlaps with communities like the involuntarily celibate, or incels, which have been linked to violent extremism. "The core feeling in looksmaxxing that the only thing that matters in all of life is how good you look, that that is tied to your self-worth in every way," Warzel said.
Participants in looksmaxxing pursue perfection relentlessly, often resorting to painful and risky methods. Warzel described techniques such as breaking bones to allow them to heal stronger, or chewing on a rubber ball for hours daily to sharpen the jawline. The goal, he noted, is not just personal improvement but dominance: to "look better than everyone else and document the heck out of it." Peters himself has openly discussed his extreme practices. In various podcasts, he has claimed to have smashed his face with a hammer to strengthen his jawline, a method rooted in the belief that fractured bones regrow denser. He also said he began taking testosterone around age 14 or 15 to accelerate puberty and achieve a more mature physique, and reportedly used methamphetamines to hollow out his cheeks for a more chiseled look.
The subculture's lexicon adds another layer of intrigue, with terms like mogging and jestermaxxing defining social interactions. As Warzel clarified, "Mogging is looking better than someone, looking hot. And actually what I found is it’s a sort of an acronym, but it stands for alpha male of the group, [shortened to] male of the group — MOG." This concept emphasizes outperforming others in appearance to assert superiority. Jestermaxxing, on the other hand, involves adopting a jovial, fun demeanor to enhance one's appeal. These invented words, Warzel observed, are "just making up on the spot too," reflecting the fluid, evolving nature of online slang within the community.
Peters' foray into broader visibility included a bizarre political prediction. In a recent post, he weighed in on a hypothetical 2028 presidential matchup between California Governor Gavin Newsom and Vice President JD Vance, asserting that Newsom would prevail "for one simple reason: He’s more attractive." This comment, shared on social media, underscores how looksmaxxing's fixation on aesthetics spills into unexpected arenas like politics, where physical appeal is framed as a decisive factor.
But Peters' associations extend beyond aesthetics into more troubling territory. In Miami, he was spotted alongside Tate, a prominent manosphere influencer known for promoting misogynistic views, and Fuentes, the leader of the white nationalist "Groyper" movement. The group, including streamer Sneako, ended up in a nightclub where they danced to Kanye West's controversial track "Heil Hitler." Clips of the event went viral, drawing condemnation from Miami's mayor, who issued a public apology on behalf of the city for allowing such an incident to occur in a local venue. The episode, which took place in early 2024, highlighted the blend of vapid entertainment and extremist undertones in Peters' circle.
Warzel, speaking on the Vox podcast, dissected the dynamics of these encounters. He recounted a stilted conversation in a Miami apartment among Peters, Sneako, and Fuentes, describing it as "incredibly vapid" with little substance exchanged. Peters, Warzel noted, responds like "one of those wind-up dolls. You pull the string and there’s like five different reactions. So one of them’s like, ‘Hey dude, that’s so based, sick.’” Despite the apparent superficiality, Warzel emphasized the deeper impact: "These guys are extremely effective attention hijackers, and that is important."
The Cybertruck incident that catapulted Peters to fame remains a point of contention. According to Warzel, Peters had been posting on looksmaxxing forums since around age 15, toiling in relative obscurity for years. The alleged hit-and-run on December 24, 2023, during a live stream, brought national scrutiny. Details of the event are sparse, with no official charges mentioned in available reports, but it reportedly involved Peters driving the vehicle into a pedestrian, leading to immediate online backlash and media coverage.
Looksmaxxing's roots trace back to early 2010s internet forums, evolving from fitness and self-improvement discussions into a more radical pursuit. Warzel pointed out its ties to incel ideology, where physical unattractiveness is blamed for social failures, sometimes escalating to real-world violence. Events like the 2014 Isla Vista killings by Elliot Rodger, an incel figurehead, illustrate the potential dangers, though looksmaxxers distinguish themselves by focusing on proactive change rather than resentment alone.
Experts like Warzel see the subculture's objective as rooted in a quest for social dominance. "It is social dominance really, or just dominance in general," he said. "This idea of mogging comes from this alpha male of group acronym: The ‘alpha’ part of that, and the ‘male’ part of that are both extremely important." Adherents aim to not only enhance their looks but to diminish others', fostering a zero-sum game where attractiveness translates to power. Women, in this worldview, are objects to be "conquered," aligning with broader manosphere narratives promoted by figures like Tate.
The Miami nightclub episode exemplifies how these online trends manifest offline. Fuentes, who has sought to steer the MAGA movement toward overt white nationalism, and Tate, facing multiple legal battles over human trafficking allegations in Romania, represent the extremist fringes Peters now navigates. Their collaboration on the Kanye track—a song laden with antisemitic undertones—amplified the controversy, forcing public figures like the Miami mayor to respond. "The fact that he was able to leverage his popularity into this situation where he is meeting with Andrew Tate... Fuentes... That he’s able to go into a club with these guys and get them to play the Ye song, ‘Heil Hitler,’ and turn that into this viral moment," Warzel explained, illustrating the attention economy at play.
While the content may seem trivial, its implications are profound. Warzel acknowledged the surface-level absurdity: "I think it’s stupid on the content level. It’s lacking in substance is how I would put it." Yet, the ability of figures like Peters to infiltrate influential circles raises alarms about the normalization of extremism through viral stunts. The Atlantic's coverage, including Warzel's article, underscores how such dynamics erode substantive discourse, replacing it with spectacle.
As looksmaxxing gains traction—fueled by platforms like TikTok and Instagram—mental health advocates warn of the pressures on young men. Unregulated self-modification, from hormone abuse to facial trauma, carries severe risks, including permanent injury or addiction. Peters' story, starting from teenage forums to political punditry, serves as a cautionary tale of how online echo chambers can amplify harmful ideologies.
Looking ahead, the subculture's evolution remains uncertain. With Peters at 20 years old and already entangled in high-profile dramas, questions linger about regulatory responses to extreme content or the platforms' role in curbing misinformation tied to extremism. Warzel's analysis suggests that understanding these trends is crucial: "The fact that I’m writing an article about him in The Atlantic because he’s hanging out with these people." For now, the blend of beauty standards, politics, and provocation continues to captivate and concern observers of the digital landscape.
In Appleton, where local discussions on youth mental health are increasingly prominent, stories like Clavicular's resonate as reminders of the global reach of internet subcultures. Community leaders have yet to comment directly, but the broader conversation about online influences on impressionable teens is gaining momentum.