✕ Loaded Verbs [9/10]: The article avoids loaded language when describing the practices, using neutral terms like 'extreme diets', 'surgery', or 'drugs' rather than inflammatory labels. Even when describing 'bone smashing', it presents the term without sensationalising it.

"[People] hitting [their] jaw with a hammer to make [their] jawline pop more," says Levi, describing something known as "bone smashing"."

✕ Editorializing [8/10]: Experts use strong descriptors like "dodgy science" and "pseudoscience", but these are properly attributed and not adopted by the reporter’s voice, preserving objectivity.

"There is no validity to any of this. It's all pseudoscientific," he says."

✓ Proper Attribution [10/10]: The article includes multiple named experts with relevant credentials — Dr. Simon Copland (sociology researcher) and Dr. Zac Seidler (psychologist) — who provide authoritative critique of the trend’s pseudoscientific basis and mental health impacts.

"Dr Copland agrees, saying that looksmaxxing influencers use "dodgy science" to identify what is a "good-looking" man."

✓ Viewpoint Diversity [9/10]: Diverse youth voices are included — both male and female, aged 15–18 — offering varied perspectives on the trend, including participation, observation, and criticism, which enhances representativeness.

"Alex and Raven, who are both 17, say as young women, they've also come across looksmaxxing content on social media, and see it as another "toxic beauty standard"."

✓ Balanced Reporting [8/10]: The creator of Omoggle, Pablo Rogers, is given space to defend the platform’s intent, allowing for a counter-perspective to expert criticism, though he is not quoted directly beyond a general statement.

"Pablo Rogers, the man behind Omoggle, says that the ratings are just "a game mechanic", not an objective judgement, and it's supposed to be a fun social game, only for those over 18 years of age."

✕ Framing by Emphasis [9/10]: The article avoids reducing the issue to a simple conflict or moral panic, instead framing it as a complex social phenomenon rooted in evolving beauty standards, social media influence, and mental health. It acknowledges both personal agency and systemic pressures.

✕ Episodic Framing [8/10]: While the story focuses on risks and harms, it does not ignore potential benign motivations, noting that some may see looksmaxxing as self-improvement, thus avoiding a purely moralistic or alarmist narrative.

"I think it [looksmaxxing] might have started as a way for people to become the best version of themselves that they can, but it very much has just become, more so, about 'out-mogging' … just being better than other people, and I think that's very toxic because we already have enough beauty standards that are unachievable."