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Fortune
Fortune
Alexandra Sternlicht

'Looksmaxxing' is exacerbating the youth mental health crisis, psychologists say

Looksmaxxing (Credit: Getty Images)

After Dillon Latham’s girlfriend dumped him during their junior year of high school, the then-17-year-old decided to invest in his appearance. He began spending hours daily in the gym, applying homemade skincare concoctions to his face like beef tallow moisturizer, and permed his hair to give it a tousled mop look. He says he felt and looked better. 

Soon, Latham started posting tips on TikTok to inspire teen boys in similar situations. His videos are captioned with language like “this is making you ugly,” “stop ruining your skin,” and “get a smaller nose.” The makeover advice went, and continues to go, viral. To date, his TikTok clips have nearly 98 million likes and 1 billion views across social media. Latham, who is now selling his own brand of hairspray, says he’s making six-figures in revenue monthly from sales and social media, leading him to skip college and be a full-time influencer.  

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