Looksmaxxing (the term for optimizing your physical appearance by any means necessary, from skincare routines to jaw surgery to steroids) started on incel forums, where an entire ideology around looks, masculinity, and who deserves love developed its own vocabulary. It has since exploded on TikTok and YouTube, reaching millions of teenagers daily. The terminology is leaking into everyday…

6. “My grandfather, who we called Opa, was a carpenter his entire life. He built half the houses in my hometown and loved to give them away AT COST to young couples getting a start in life. When my grandmother passed, Opa began building his own coffin, and it was beautiful. He asked my mom to put in nice red satin upholstery, and when…