Until just recently, looksmaxxing influencers resided in a niche corner of the rapidly expanding manosphere. But in the last few weeks, looksmaxxer Clavicular and his friends have captured the internet’s attention, going viral every few days for endorsing unconventional and often extreme methods for pursuing a physical ideal and fame.
This week — despite news that Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, has been fully banned from YouTube — Dillon Latham became the most-talked-about looksmaxxer on social media for his unexpected stance that being called “gay” is a compliment. But what was even more interesting, although it went fairly unnoticed, was Latham’s defense of what is called, we now know, twinkmaxxing.
Latham’s comments came during an appearance on the Twitch series Rasmr Report, when the host asked him for a response to people mocking looksmaxxers on social media for being “closet cases.” “I just think it’s really funny that ‘gay’ is used as an insult, because I am not insulted by it whatsoever,” Latham, whose particular brand revolves around hair care and a lot of crying, told the crypto influencer.
Latham’s initial explanation was that, since there’s no validity to the comments, he has no reason to be offended. But then he said, “And I think I literally take it as a compliment. The gay dating market is a lot more competitive, so the average person, when they say, ‘You look gay,’ means that they’re saying you look better than average.”
This seemed to be a totally original concept for Rasmr, whose crypto bro persona is consistent with the type of influencer the manosphere has traditionally produced. After being badgered for an explanation, Latham spelled out the well-known stereotype: “It’s that the people at the top of the gay dating market typically have to... Like, it’s literally a stereotype that they’re ‘Chadded’ a lot of times,” he said, referring to a man who is charming, muscular, and attractive and using Australian model Jordan Barrett as an example.
The really fascinating part of the conversation happened, though, when the ideologically opposed manosphere influencers moved on from debating the competitiveness of the gay dating market to reveal that twink is now something you can max.
After saying that they shoved kids like Latham in a locker back in his day, Rasmr asked his 21-year-old guest if he thinks of himself as a twink and if his abundance of tears — which he apparently uses as a replacement for sea salt hair spray — is part of twinkmaxxing. “Yes, I’m absolutely twinkmaxxed. But the question is, does that matter?” Latham said. “Does being a twink get me less views, get me less money, less power, less status, less girls? None of that is true.”
Responding to the host’s follow-up question about whether he became a twink intentionally or by accident, Latham added, “I naturally am a bit more skinny. I naturally act a bit more feminine. I’m a fucking metrosexual.”
Latham’s point, as he continued to explain, was that by leaning into his natural inclinations, which include crying, he’s been able to build a substantial following and achieve his version of success. Whereas other looksmaxxers — like Clavicular, who recently made headlines for a suspected overdose during a live stream — tout steroids and other extreme measures of bulking up, he gets to be “the skinniest guy with a chiseled face.” And he doesn’t have any qualms about crying on camera because the goal is getting “mass amounts of views by any means necessary.”
“It’s like, wait, so you’re telling me all I have to do is shed a tear to be the No. 1 on Twitter for the day? That’s what I have to do, really? You’re not willing to do that?” Latham said when Rasmr attempted to provoke him by asking if he would do “gay OnlyFans” if it meant getting more attention.
What’s intriguing about Latham’s particular approach is not that he’s borrowing from gay culture as he understands it. (Certainly, crying isn’t known to be a telltale sign of a twink.) People who identify as straight have been influenced by queer artists, celebrities, thinkers, and everyday individuals from time immemorial. But there is a fascinating quality to how ruthless the appropriation is and how unconcerned lookmaxxers are with the irony of peacocking in the masculinity-obsessed world of the manosphere.
It’s doubtful that Latham or his fellow twinkmaxxers will be giving the queer community the thanks it deserves for normalizing an array of gender presentations. Still, there’s some satisfaction to be had by contemplating how, exactly, you achieve pinnacle twink.
