Incel culture advises men to “looksmaxx” or “statusmaxx”—to improve their appearance, to make more money—in a way that presumes that women are not potential partners or worthy objects of possible affection but inconveniently sentient bodies that must be claimed through cold strategy.
2020, Annie Jones, "Incels and the Manosphere: Tracking Men's Movements Online", thesis submitted to the University of Central Florida, page 48:
Some attempt to “looksmaxx” with money by finding methods of increasing their sexual market value like getting plastic surgery.
2020, Angus Charles Lindsay, "Swallowing the Black Pill: A Qualitative Exploration of Incel Antifeminism within Digital Society", thesis submitted to Victoria University of Wellington, page 79:
This can be achieved through one of two ways: by ‘looksmaxxing’ or improving one’s physical characteristics in order to become more attractive (Chapter Four) or through the ‘just be white’ (JBW) theory.
2020, Joshua A. Segalewitz, "'You Don’t Understand... It’s Not About Virginity': Sexual Markets, Identity Construction, and Violent Masculinity on an Incel Forum Board", thesis submitted to the University of Dayton, page 25:
However, many insist that, for truecels, looksmaxing does not actually improve one’s status: “Gymcelling doesn't work. We all know that. You need good genes to succeed at gymcelling, and if you have such genes you'll never need to gymcel anyway because women will be naturally attracted you and you'd have been getting validation for as long as you were getting pubes,” says OrangeFez2311.