Looksmaxing has been a trending topic as of late.
The influencer, who goes by the handle chadified_ggm8 and describes himself as standing 6’6″ (198 cm), has opened up to wearing shoe lifts to artificially boost his already impressive stature to an eye-catching 6’9″ (206 cm).
At first glance, the practice seems absurd. Six-foot-six already places someone well into the 99th percentile for height, a physical attribute most would consider a genetic jackpot. Yet for some in the looksmaxxing community, even natural advantages are not enough.
“As a six-foot-six man, I’m still wearing height inserts when I go to the bar, plus Air Maxes. So basically, I’m trying to fraud six-nine minimum. Um, basically, you know, shorter people are trying to wear inserts to even the playing field.” – Chadified explains in a video.
“And here’s the thing, though, dude: look at me facially, like, I’m LTN. The problem is that if I’m six-six and someone who’s six foot, now six-foot-three, and they have a face card that’s better than mine, they’re actually going to have a higher SMV, in my opinion.”
The phenomenon is not entirely unprecedented. 19-year-old content creator Clavicular, has made headlines for planning to spend $100,000 on limb-lengthening surgery despite already standing at 6’2″ (188 cm). When questioned about the motivation behind such a decision, his reasoning shed light on the mindset driving these obsessive pursuits.
“It’s more about presence,” he said. “You walk into a room, and people will notice.”
For Clavicular, even being 6’2″ isn’t sufficient. “In terms of percentiles, it’s only the 91st. Six-foot-six gets you to the 99th,” he explained. “I’m someone who wants to be the best, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get there.”
The procedures these influencers pursue come with serious consequences. Limb-lengthening surgery requires breaking bones and slowly stretching them apart over months of recovery. “You’re going to have to be out of work for six months to a year,” Clavicular noted. “Not to mention the outrageous prices.”
The physical toll extends beyond just the financial burden. “It’s a very treacherous process,” he admitted. “It’s extremely painful. You have to be under close supervision with doctors, and you really have to weigh the value.”
While chadified_ggm8’s choice to wear lifts is far less invasive than surgical intervention, it raises questions about the psychological drivers behind such behavior. If someone already towers over the vast majority of people at 6’6″, what internal void are those extra three inches meant to fill?
In another video, Chadified brags about how taking peptide retatrutide is helping him cut costs on food.
“So I’ve been on RETA for about a week now, give or take, maybe a little less. And one thing I’ve noticed is that I’m spending significantly less on food because my appetite is, kind of, you know, definitely suppressed.”
“And I think this is, you know, saving more money on food is definitely a positive thing. And if I can ascend while doing so, then that’s kind of fire, right? It’s a mod.”
The trend highlights a growing crisis of body issues among young men, fueled by social media echo chambers in which appearance metrics are dissected with ruthless precision. In these spaces, being tall isn’t enough—you must be taller. Being fit isn’t sufficient—you must be leaner, more muscular, more defined.
For now, chadified_ggm8 continues to document his enhanced height on social media, while others in the community debate whether his approach represents clever self-optimization or a cautionary tale about losing perspective in the endless pursuit of physical superiority.