AI-generated models are attractive for one simple reason: they remove human limits. A real person has a body that ages, fluctuates, gets tired, carries asymmetry, carries history. An AI model does not. It can be adjusted, perfected, smoothed, slimmed, reshaped, relit, and regenerated without resistance. There is no baseline reality pushing back. Advertising has always idealised people, but it used to start from something that existed in the world.

Looksmaxxing started in "manosphere" online communities in the mid-2010s and went mainstream in the 2020s. The premise is straightforward: systematically optimise your physical appearance to maximise social desirability.