Inside Mogwarts, Where Men Go to Extreme Lengths to Maximize Attractiveness
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Many men grew up turning to glossy mags for guidance on how to burn fat fast, identify the best ab workouts, and determine the right haircut. For decades, fad diets and unproven trends have guaranteed low body fat and improved happiness. This self-improvement culture has only intensified with the emergence of social media, where men and women are confronted with images telling us what our bodies, lives, and relationships should look like. Recently, I’ve noticed a trend that’s intensifying these concerns for young men on TikTok: Mogwarts and looksmaxxing.
What Is Mogwarts?
Mogwarts is an online course and TikTok community focused on looksmaxxing. In its simplest sense, looksmaxxing is the act of enhancing one’s physical appearance by any means necessary, including intense fitness regimes, meticulous dieting, extreme cosmetic procedures, elaborate grooming habits, and an everyday (some may say obsessive) commitment to aesthetic upgrading.
“Mogwarts” is a term that fuses “Hogwarts,” the famed fictional wizarding school, with “Mog.” In looksmaxxer phraseology, to mog means to outshine someone by being more attractive or physically superior. Some say Mog is an acronym for “Man of God” and refers to a man who’s achieved the pinnacle looksmaxxing ideal.
What’s that exactly? It’s clear skin, a defined jawline, a thick head of hair, defined abs, and proportional muscularity. It goes as granular as a positive “canthal tilt,” which is an angle between the inner and outer corners of the eyes that resembles fox eyes. It’s the Bella Hadid effect (there’s a scientific reason why she’s the most beautiful woman in the world) and it translates to male beauty standards, too.
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For just $10, you can participate in the Mogwarts community and become a “Moggle.” Here, you’ll connect with other men and learn from influencers and content creators, who share tips on how to improve one’s appearance via webinars and live streams. The promise is that by improving the way you look, you can enhance your self-esteem, social interactions, and general well-being. By making yourself look better, you’ll feel better.
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It’s undeniable that many people want to look good. When they go to the gym, eat, and dress in a way that reflects their internal self-expression, they feel better about themselves. They feel confident and even sexy, which isn’t inherently a bad thing.
However, it’s a slippery and sometimes addictive slope. Mogwarts rewards obsessive, consistent engagement. The more you post, the higher you rank, which garners access to private group chats (Level 2) and an invitation into the VIP inner circle (Level 4). At the peak, Level 9, members receive a one-on-one call with the founder, but so far no one’s reached the echelon.
Supporters and community members celebrate Mogwarts for creating a safe space for men to connect and support each other. There are more brutal and insidious looksmaxxing online spaces that bully and harass men for not complying to unrealistic beauty standards; users get off on putting others down. Mogwarts prides itself on being a haven for men who just want to be mentored as they upgrade their lives.
Who Started Mogwarts?
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Kareem Shami (or K. Shami) is the founder of the online platform, offering weekly lessons from influencers and special guests. The lessons are focused on enhancing facial aesthetics, like improving your “hair, jawline, skin, and eye area,” as well as courses on wealth creation, status, and social dynamics.
Shami himself turned to looksmaxxing after being bullied in high school for his acne and size. He shares his before and after shots as inspiration to others, which have garnered millions of views on TikTok, showcasing his transformation.
Now a college student, Shami claims he created Mogwarts as a positive, hate-free space for young men looking to undergo a similar transformation.
The Detriment of Looksmaxxing
Body image concerns and low self esteem can affect anyone. Previous research focused mostly on women, largely neglecting image perception and dissatisfaction among men, but the stats suggest men aren’t excluded from the phenomenon.
It’s estimated that between 30 and 40 percent of men have anxiety over their body weight and up to 85 percent are unhappy with their muscularity, according to a survey of over 11,000 participants. So, at what point does a trend like Mogwarts become dangerous?
Looksmaxxing has long been associated with toxic, addictive, and obsessive behavior with an unrelenting focus on unrealistic male beauty standards. The concept presents an intriguing paradox: Can a safe refuge really emerge when the entire purpose is about complying to impossible patriarchal standards of masculinity rooted in self-hate and dissatisfaction?
Research indicates that focusing excessively on appearance can result in body dissatisfaction, anxiety, and depression.
Whilst the Mogwarts mission is to create a safe space for men to look better, we can’t ignore that Shami is financially benefiting from participants. He predicts Mogwart’s will make six figures by the end of 2024. Capitalism influences our insecurities only to profit from them.
The more we feel bad about ourselves, the more we will spend to make ourselves look better. But looking better also just means looking the same. When I see these men on TikTok, I’m finding it hard to tell them apart. These young men strive to be homogenous in the way they look, to blend into the acceptable aesthetic of thick, floppy hair; sharp jawlines; symmetrical faces; and the right amount of stubble. They’re starting to lose sight of their individuality and all the parts of themselves that make them uniquely attractive.
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When self-worth becomes tied to appearance, individuals may find themselves in a perpetual cycle of dissatisfaction. In fact, internalization and comparison are related to higher body dissatisfaction, drive for leanness and muscularity, and unhealthy behaviors like restrictive eating, according to 2024 research published in Springer Nature.
Recently, a client of mine shared he was on a health kick and that TikTok was inspiring his new grooming regimen, workout, and diet. He shared his big plan with me: he wasn’t going to date or try to meet anyone until he’d “optimized” his body, mind, and life. He’d been on this mission for about a year, but despite all the work, all the muscle gain, and all the expensive serums, he still didn’t feel “good enough” to date.
When I asked him how he was feeling in his body, he told me his mental health was at an all-time low, wasn’t seeing his friends, and was spending a lot of time and money on maintaining the mission. Throughout our sessions he told me, “I’ve been so focused on my body and getting it perfect that I’ve lost sight of what makes me feel good.”
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In session, we worked to turn his attention to his emotional experiences, develop a community of friends outside the gym and TikTok, and focus on exercising with the intention of feeling good rather than just working out to look good. He started to feel more confident and even started dating. His appearance didn’t change—but his perspective did. Rather than using self-hate to fuel his optimization, we worked with self-compassion and created a positive self-concept, as research shows this approach is strongly correlated with overall well-being.
Instead of solely focusing on external appearance in sessions, we work on embracing a holistic approach. Engaging in activities that create self-acceptance—such as therapy, mindfulness, and supportive relationships—can lead to a more profound sense of fulfillment than chasing ever-changing beauty standards.
Mogwarts and looksmaxxing are part of a larger conversation about beauty and self-worth in our society. If you’re ever curious about exploring these trends, intend to do so with balance, alongside the support of professionals who can help and notice how it affects your mental health and emotional well-being.
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Why You Should Trust Me
I’ve been working as a certified sex and relationship practitioner, sex educator, author and somatic therapist for over eight years, helping individuals and couples navigate the complexities of sex. I’ve seen first-hand how pop culture and sex trends like Mogwarts can shape our understanding of attraction, self-worth, and our relationships. My approach is inclusive, sex-positive, and shame-free, and supports individuals, couples, and groups to overcome common sexual concerns. I’m also a writer, podcaster, author, and co-founder of NORMAL, a sexual wellness company, where I work with Lucy Wark and a team of experts to create educational courses and design modern sex toys. I’m on a mission to redefine what “normal” means when it comes to sex, relationships, and intimacy, and equip people with the tools they need to address these typically taboo topics for more fulfilling experiences.
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