What are "mewing" and "looksmaxing"? Parents are concerned over teens counting calories to look skinny like Timothée Chalamet
The New York Post has published an article citing concerns of parents whose kids have been obsessed with looking as skinny as Timothée Chalamet. Several parents have told The Post how their kids have been counting calories to achieve their goal .
Eating disorder specialists have also shed light on the issue, talking about how young men and teenage boys have been obsessing over a lean body structure.
The news outlet further added that trends like "mewing" and "looksmaxxing" have been all over social media platforms.
American Association of Orthodontists has described mewing as the "movement of flattening your tongue against the roof of your mouth in an attempt to define your jawline." On the other hand, according to BBC, the "looksmaxxing" trend originated in incel forums. It refers to maximizing one's physical features to look more attractive.
Trends focusing on the maximization of physical attractiveness are becoming popular among men. As a result, parents have showed concerns with the new trend of slimming down to resemble Timothée Chalamet.
Timothée Chalamet had previously revealed that he was once asked to gain more weight to become a star
While teenagers are currently obsessing and trying to have a body frame like Timothée Chalamet, the actor seemingly had a different experience with his body. In November 2024, Timothée sat for an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe where he revealed that in the beginning of his career, he was told to make significant changes to his body in order to become a successful star. Timothée Chalamet further stated:
"If I auditioned for The Maze Runner or Divergent—things of that variety that were popping when I was coming up—the feedback was always, ‘Oh, you don't have the right body,' I had an agent that called me and said, 'You've got to put on weight,' basically. Not aggressively, but you know."
In January 2025, he made an appearance on NPR’s All Things Considered, and revealed that he had to gain about 20 pounds to play the role of Bon Dylan in his 2024 movie A Complete Unknown.
Furthermore, an individual named Casey (pseudonym) expressed concern about his son, while talking to The Post. According to Casey, his son suddenly stopped eating junk food and was extremely focused on losing weight.
The eighth grader who studies in a Manhattan private school reportedly weighs 122 pounds and is 5'8" tall. The 14-year-old boy began by refusing ice-cream after which Casey noticed that he took photos of his food. He would then upload them on MyFitnessPal, to count the calories he had been consuming. Casey told The Post:
"He’s determined to lose weight, but he doesn’t have any to lose."
The Post further revealed how immense focus has been put on physical attractiveness, which have led to the growing popularity of trends like "mewing" and "looksmaxxing."