[Ads-l] looksmaxxing (2016)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Excellent work Dave and Ben. Here is a tweet from 2013 using "maxing"
as a suffix from the weightlifting domain, I think.

[Begin twitter info]
https://x.com/Q_Bower28/status/393721564023496704
Quinn Bower @Q_Bower28
Still riding this adrenaline high from bench maxing #PlatesOnPlates
#GrabOneWeEatin #SwolePatrol #DoYouEvenLiftBro
8:51 AM · Oct 25, 2013
[End twitter info]

Garson

On Fri, Jul 3, 2026 at 11:50 AM Ben Zimmer
<00001aae0710f4b7-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> We consider "looksmaxxing" and the "-maxxing" combining form more generally
> in the May 2025 installment of "Among the New Words" in _American Speech_
> 100.2, covering nominees in the 2024 American Dialect Society Word of the
> Year voting.
>
> https://read.dukeupress.edu/american-speech/article-abstract/100/2/259/400475/Among-the-New-Words
>
> In the citations included in the supplementary material, we provide
> evidence for "-maxxing" from 2014 and "looksmaxxing" specifically from 2015.
>
> ---
> 2015 June 29, MistGeburt3000, “ttl: i’ll teach you how to become a Sex God”
> (first post), Looksmaxing (forum), Lookism.net (Internet Archive)
> https://web.archive.org/web/20150703130926/http://www.lookism.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=6
> ---
> 2015 Nov. 8, anonymous, /r9k/ - ROBOT9001, 4chan (desuarchive): Getting fit
> wont fix your ugly face Looksmaxxing is pure snake oil
> https://desuarchive.org/r9k/thread/24110467/#q24110523
> ---
>
> --bgz
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 3, 2026 at 8:09 AM dave at wilton.net <dave at wilton.net> wrote:
>
> >
> > "Looksmaxxing" isn't in the OED. Merriam-Webster has 2018. As far as I
> > know, this is the first of the "-maxxing" terms.
> >
> > I found these two 2016 instances on Reddit:
> >
> > “Other Than Suicide, What Our Plans for Getting Out of This?”
> > Reddit.com/r/ForeverUnwanted, 26 February 2016. (The subreddit has been
> > deleted, but the post is available via PullPush.io search)  [
> > https://search.pullpush.io/?type=submission&q=looksmaxxing&sort_type=created_utc&sort=desc&before=1469923200
> > ](
> > https://search.pullpush.io/?type=submission&q=looksmaxxing&sort_type=created_utc&sort=desc&before=1469923200
> > )
> >
> > "I'm looksmaxxing harder than anyone on this forum, and doing everything I
> > can to go from nervous paranoia to being as low-inhibition as humanly
> > possible.
> >
> > "after these things are theoretically achieved i have no clue what happens
> > next. I'll be going to school next year, i guess that'd be last opportunity
> > to become 'normal' but I relate to no one anyway so eh who gives a shit"
> >
> >
> > DerPhilosoph. “Starting a 3rd Course of Accutane…” Reddit.com/r/acne, 16
> > May 2016. [
> > https://www.reddit.com/r/acne/comments/4jm7bf/starting_a_3rd_course_of_accutane/
> > ](
> > https://www.reddit.com/r/acne/comments/4jm7bf/starting_a_3rd_course_of_accutane/
> > )
> >
> > "Because I think it is worth the risk and liver damage...
> >
> > "What the 10 years of my 20s taught me was that looksmaxxing is what we
> > all should be doing... There was a night and day difference between how I
> > was treated when I had totally clear skin (early to mid 20s) after my 2nd
> > course of accutane and how I have been treated in the past 4 years or so.
> >
> > "Quality of life and not quantity is what I am aiming for now."
> >
> >
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org