Meet the men calling out 'masculinity' trends

Meet the men calling out 'masculinity' trends51 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleHarry SekulichBBC NewsSupplied: drmichaelsays/ therealbenhurst/ brashnutritionDr Michael Mrozinski (left), Ben Hurst (centre) and James Brash (right) are pushing against popular masculinity trends on social media"Hammer your facial bones to chisel your jawlines.""The only real goal is to get better looking – no matter what it takes.""Your body is your billboard."These are suggestions shared online by so-called "masculinity influencers": men who promote what they say are ways to become more masculine.Some call themselves healthmaxxers – sharing tips on what to eat and working out, while others identify as looksmaxxers, a portmanteau for 'looks maximising', where the aim is to totally "optimise" one's physical appearance. Many of them share a common vocabulary. "Mogging", for example, means being better looking than another man, and "ascending" is becoming better looking. What counts as good looking is narrowly defined: chiselled facial features and visible muscles are non-negotiables.Though this may seem like something of an internet niche, young men are paying attention. Almost two-thirds of boys and men aged 16-25 in the UK, US, and Australia regularly watch and read masculinity influencer content, research from the men's mental health charity Movember shows. Some of the most popular UK-based masculinity influencers boast millions of followers online.But in recent months, a counter-movement has emerged on social media, with health-focused men with expertise and qualifications in nutrition or exercise using their platforms to critique what they describe as "extreme" masculinity trends, like looksmaxxing. Speaking to the BBC, these counter-influencers admit that fact-checked, evidence-based information can be difficult to make "sexy" on social media.Here is...