Autism and looksmaxxing: the trap of blaming the mirror

Looksmaxxing: the mirror obsession born from bullying

Can a pair of glasses twist an entire life? For a young autistic woman, the answer is yes. Her testimony circulates online as an example of a worrying trend: teenagers who felt different and were bullied during childhood, and who upon reaching adolescence blame their appearance for all their ills. It is the gateway to looksmaxxing, the movement that promises beauty fixes everything, and to the black pill philosophy, which reduces social success to physical attractiveness.

The young woman explains that her self-esteem was non-existent. Her glasses, which distorted her eyes, became her greatest insecurity. She believed that if she managed to be pretty, she would be happy. At the extreme, some resort to harmful methods: there is talk of boys willing to break bones with a hammer.

But not everyone shares the premise. Some argue that self-perception has no influence at all: the only thing that matters is how others treat you. Others go further and see a conspiracy to eliminate autistic people, an argument that does not withstand the slightest analysis.

The underlying issue is uncomfortable: the obsession with image can be a symptom, not a solution. And while some seek happiness in surgery or extreme routines, others remember that the problem is rarely in the mirror. Better not to break anything.