By Annette Lee, Contributing Columnist • Apr 20, 2026

Where were you when the ASU frat leader brutally framemogged Clavicular, ultimately overtaking his top position as the top mogger?

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, is a 20-year-old online streamer most known for his “looksmaxxing” content.

Some popular looksmaxxing techniques, like mewing — in which people rest their tongues on the roofs of their mouths, close their mouths and breathe through their noses to improve jawline appearance — seem relatively tame. However, the ones that Peters both uses and promotes to his fanbase are incredibly dangerous. 

His content deliberately caters to a right-wing fanbase and perpetuates far-right ideology. He panders to misogynists in his objectification of women, for women are depicted as objects to desire or get with. Much of his fanbase consists of incels, short for “involuntary celibates” — men who blame their lack of romantic attention on women. 

Young, impressionable men who consume his content may further radicalize and exact harm on themselves and others due to the misogynistic ideals he promotes.

Peters’ predominantly male fanbase praises him for his upfront, uncensored attitude in addressing “pretty privilege” and its role in social hierarchies. Others criticize the harmful and dangerous means that he actively promotes to surpass societal beauty standards.

To maintain his desired appearance, he “bone smashes,” in which he repeatedly hits his jawline and cheekbones with a hammer to make them more defined. Bone smashing creates microfractures in the bone, and the hope is that the bone will grow back more defined. 

Peters routinely receives steroid injections, so much so that he has admitted that he is now infertile. He also snorts crystal meth as an appetite suppressant to reduce body fat.

He also consistently collaborates with far-right influencers, spreading toxic and discriminatory rhetoric. One contributor to his sudden sensationalism was his attendance at a nightclub with other notable far-right influencers, such as Nick Fuentes, Andrew Tate, Tristan Tate and Sneako. A clip from the night went viral in which they all sang along to Kanye West’s song “Heil Hitler,” a banned song due to its blatant antisemitism.

In a recent interview, Peters recognized the profound influence his online persona has on young men and how he holds significant power to sway them towards conservatism. 

“Tate knows just as much as I do how much of a challenge it becomes when you have real influence over the male youth, which is the up-and-coming voters,” Peters said in the interview. “A lot of people want to make sure that you’re going to play ball with their side of the aisle and go about this talking point, support that, support this, act a certain way, not be too crazy…”

However, having such figures responsible for the political swaying of an entire demographic of voters is incredibly dangerous, for he is actively spreading misogyny under the guise of male self-improvement.

While some may argue that young men can enjoy Peters’ content without subscribing to misogynistic ideals, the hypermasculine culture surrounding looksmaxxing is inseparable from the manosphere — online spaces that advocate for men’s rights over feminism and encourage toxic masculinity and misogyny. 

In such spaces, significant portions of masculinity, male self-improvement and self-worth are tied to attracting women, while simultaneously emphasizing the dominance of men over women.

Peters plays on preexisting male insecurity and provides a solution for desperate men seeking social validation — elevating their appearances. Many incels feel ostracized from their peers and blame their societal rejection on women. Looksmaxxing provides a solution for better societal treatment: It places societal acceptance in the hands of the individual through self-improvement and allows young men to feel that they have control over how others perceive them. 

Peters consistently emphasizes that making oneself more attractive results in societal acceptance, and for young men who feel like outcasts, his social media presence provides a solution to their insecurities.

In a short clip, he met with a 15-year-old fan online who asked him for looksmaxxing advice. The fan asked Peters if he “looked OK” and explained that he had recently had cancer and had stopped chemotherapy six months prior. He asked, “I know my nose is big, so should I get a rhinoplasty?”

Peters responded with, “Well, usually if you have to ask, I would say that’s a good tell.”

His content promotes and exacerbates insecurity among impressionable teens, and he should not be a figure that young men should look up to. However, his own struggles with being unable to fit into the dominant society have made him a relatable figure for impressionable young men to follow. 

Peters has talked about his struggles with autism and how he feels the need to take drugs in social settings to socialize normally with others. He was recently hospitalized on April 15 after overdosing on a livestream in Miami. 

The toxic masculinity in the looksmaxxing community makes it impossible to separate self-improvement content from inherently misogynistic ideals. His sudden rise in popularity only exacerbates a worsening issue in the United States — the widening political divide.

Annette is a junior in LAS.

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