Glossary · Approaches
Looksmaxxing slang and abbreviations
Looksmaxxing has its own shorthand: measurements like ESR, NCT and FWHR, rating words like PSL and HTN, and slang like mog, mirin, ascend, chopped and cooked. This page explains each in plain words and links the full entry or the tool that measures it. Terms built to demean people are named only where needed and never used as labels here.
How the parts of a face relate to one another.
Explore proportionsAlso called: looksmax terms, looksmaxxing abbreviations, looksmax dictionary
Measurement abbreviations
| Term | Stands for | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ESR | Eye separation ratio | Distance between the eyes against face width; see eye separation ratio |
| NCT / PCT | Negative / positive canthal tilt | Outer eye corner lower or higher than the inner; see canthal tilt |
| FWHR | Facial width-to-height ratio | Cheekbone width against midface height; see fWHR |
| IPD | Interpupillary distance | Distance between the pupils; see interpupillary distance |
| UEE | Upper eyelid exposure | How much lid shows; see upper eyelid exposure |
| PFL | Palpebral fissure length | Width of the eye opening; see palpebral fissure length |
| Gonial angle | Angle at the jaw corner | How sharply the jaw turns; see gonial angle |
Rating words
PSL is the forums' 1-to-10 looks scale, named after three old forum sites; the PSL scale entry explains it and why it runs harsh. HTN, MTN and LTN mean high, mid and low tier normie, the middle of the ladder; the looksmaxxing tiers entry covers the whole ladder. Mogging means one person's looks overshadowing another's; frame mogging is the same for shoulders and build, height mogging for height. See mogging. Halo is the halo effect, the tendency to judge good-looking people better in other ways.
Slang
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mirin | Admiring, as in checking someone out; from gym slang |
| Ascend / ascension | A visible improvement in looks, the goal of looksmaxxing |
| Chopped | 2025–26 slang for unattractive; often self-deprecating |
| Cooked / it's over | Beyond saving, used about a feature or a photo; often ironic |
| Cope | A belief or product dismissed as self-deception |
| Frauding | Using angles, lighting or filters to look better than in person |
| Softmaxxing / hardmaxxing | Non-surgical improvement versus surgery; see softmaxxing and hardmaxxing |
| Jestermaxxing | Leaning on humour; see jestermaxxing |
| Mewing | Tongue posture said to reshape the jaw; see mewing |
Terms left out on purpose
The forums also use ranking words built to demean people at the bottom of the ladder, slurs for women and men, and phrases that refer to self-harm. They are not defined here, because a definition page would spread them, and none of them describes anything a face rating measures. If a thread or a word is making you feel that nothing can change, that is the forum's framing talking, not the evidence: most of what moves how a face reads is workable, and the how to glow up guide starts there.
Questions
What does chopped mean in looksmaxxing?
Chopped is 2025–26 slang for unattractive, often used about oneself or a photo, as in feeling chopped. It spread from looksmaxxing forums to TikTok. It describes a mood about a picture more than a measurement, and it tends to be applied to bad angles and lighting as much as to faces.
What does mirin mean?
Mirin comes from gym slang, from admiring, meaning checking someone out or being impressed by how they look, as in are you mirin. In looksmaxxing threads it is used the same way, usually jokingly, about someone admiring another person's face or physique.
What does ascend mean in looksmaxxing?
To ascend is to visibly improve your looks, the goal the whole approach is named for. Threads use it for before-and-after progress, from a haircut or skin routine to weight loss. In BecomeTen's terms it is progress in the workable traits, tracked with matched photos and a re-scan.