Who Are Clavicular's Parents and How Have They Shaped His Views on "Looksmaxxing"?

Content warning: This article mentions self-harm.

Braden Peters, aka Clavicular, is known for his controversial "looksmaxxing" strategies. The influencer uses social media to encourage followers to take extreme methods for the sake of transforming their appearance into the most aesthetic version possible.

Looksmaxxing strategies include hitting one's bones with a hammer in order to make them grow back stronger, which Clavicular has dubbed "bone smashing." He also advocates for taking hard drugs, such as crystal meth, to stay thin. The influencer also takes steroids to boost his muscle growth, which he has admitted has made him infertile. Naturally, people wonder where Clavicular's looksmaxxing ideas come from, and many have turned to his parents to see if they're partly responsible.

Clavicular was raised by businessman Kenneth and stay-at-home mom Lauren in Hoboken, N.J. According to the influencer, his interest in looksmaxxing started when he was 14 years old, and his parents were aware of the situation as they often found his tools, such as testosterone supplements and a hammer. When caught, Clavicular would be sent to live with his grandmother. Fans note that rather than Lauren and Kenneth dealing with Clavicualar's issues, they simply sent him to someone else.

Unsurprisingly, Calvicular describes his relationship with his parents as "shaky" when he first began his work as an influencer. However, he says now that his career has proven successful, he has a positive relationship with them and talks to them on a near-daily basis.

Despite the 20-year-old's seemingly positive relationship with his parents, the public can't help but notice that — if the rumors are true — Lauren and Kenneth's parenting methods seem questionable, at best. A widely believed story is that one of Clavicular's parents walked in on him using a hammer to bone smash while in the shower. Rather than intervene, that parent simply walked away, leaving Clavicular to continue harming himself.

It's important to note that these claims are unconfirmed, so the story may be completely untrue. That said, it's clear from Clavicular's own stories about his rise to fame that his parents were aware of the extreme body modifications he was practicing in their home. Even if they did intervene more than the rumors give them credit for, there's no denying that their son now has an entire career based on encouraging others to mimic these extreme looksmaxxing measures.

What we do know, as Clavicular has shared with his fans, is that his mother once hung up on him when he wanted to discuss drugs. Similarly, his father texted him, calling the influencer a "full-blown drug addict," saying it was "sad." Although his parents aren't completely ignoring the issue, there does seem to be a theme of avoidance rather than intervention when Clavicular demonstrates self-harm.

Clavicular's self-harm continues to escalate, as the influencer is believed to have suffered a recent overdose. He posted on X, "Just got home, that was brutal. All of the substances are just a cope trying to feel neurotypical while being in public, but obviously, that isn’t a real solution. The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask."

Perhaps one day, Clavicular will decide he's had enough with harming himself, and he'll not only stop but encourage his fans to quit looksmaxxing as well. In the meantime, we sincerely hope that those who are watching the influencer's content have parents who are invested in their children's well-being.