In the third episode of Thinking Face Emoji, Margarita Osipian from The Hmm and researcher Mita Medri, are joined by writer and cultural commentator Ana Sumbo, to discuss the online phenomenon of looksmaxxing. Hunter vs prey eyes, the canthal tilt, siren vs. doe eyes, angel vs witch skull, or a FYP filled with Gigachad jawlines. This is the landscape, or some might say cesspool, of looksmaxxing. With its incel-verse undertones and radical history, we discuss whether this phenomenon is just another glow-up trend or is it signaling a resurgence in eugenics?

Mentioned in this episode:
“men used to go to war” | TikTok clip from Kareem Shami

The Slow Burn Back to Eugenics by Ana Sumbo

The Digital Legacy of Eugenics project by Lila Brustad

Rage against the machine: how incel culture went mainstream in 2023 by Günseli Yalcinkaya

Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future by Anita Chan

I tried all of the most popular looksmaxxing glowup tips! | TikTok clip from Michael Hoover

Deathnics thread on looksmax.org

Yassified Eugenics by Abha Ahad

POV: How the SS officers pulled up to the Nuremberg trials | TikTok clip from Kareem Shafti

Are you the hunter or the hunted? | Instagram video from @rawreturned

Lard of estrogen | Instagram video from @nickfraserrrrr

Find The Hmm at:
thehmm.nl

linkin.bio

Find Ana at:
Substack

Thinking Face Emoji is a podcast by The Hmm, in collaboration with The Institute of Network Cultures, and financially supported by the Creative Industries Fund NL.

Jingle and sound design by Jochem van der Hoek.

Editing by Salome Berdzenishvili.

Cover art by Aspirin.