What's the deal with Cyborgs?

Noma Gcabashe

Transhumanism thank you, Merriam-Webster is a philosophical and scientific movement that

advocates for using technology to enhance human physical and cognitive capabilities, with

the ultimate goal of overcoming biological limitations like aging and death.

So basically: think lip filler, peptide shots, and whatever new “biohacking” thing is

happening in LA or Silicon Valley.

I remember the day I saw my first botched BBL in the wild. I couldn’t understand why

someone would do that to themselves or what kind of satisfaction they found in it. I spent the

whole day thinking about the level of dysphoria someone must feel to walk around knowing,

as the internet says, “these BBLs killing y’all,” and still live confidently in their own skin.

Then I saw her online, and there was no way that was the same BBL I saw in real life. That

was when it clicked: body modifications translate perfectly on screen, and online perception

now holds far greater esteem than what exists in “real” life. Simply put, the girls don’t care

that you think they’re botched.

The Transhuman Temptation

Transhumanism fascinates me because I don’t want to approach it with judgment, not about

cosmetic surgery, enhancement, or any ableist rhetoric I might unconsciously hold. People

should do whatever they want with their money (or the money they’ve Klarnad).

What’s more interesting to me is the psychology of those who engage in it, and how

mainstream it’s become to want to overcome biological limits.

I think of the BBL bandits as one of the first mainstream versions of the transhumanist

agenda of the 2020s (thank you, Kimberly Noel Kardashian -allegedly-). Women are tasked

with maintaining arbitrary, ever-shifting body standards, constantly updating themselves to

satisfy men’s ongoing obsession with merging with machine an algorithmic beauty standard

so unattainable it borders on sci-fi.

We saw the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge. We saw the rise of young women like Tana

Mongeau and Jada Wayda risking their health to achieve filtered perfection. All of it points to

the same thing: bodies becoming projects, optimized for screens.

So, what does that mean in 2025?

The Dark Side of “Enhancement

It’s no secret that transhumanism can edge into dangerous territory. There’s a fine line

between transhumanism and eugenics especially when talk of “enhancing” human superiority

comes up. Advocates who overlook that connection risk reinforcing harmful ideologies under

the guise of progress.

But what does that mean for the rest of us the people who see under-eye filler or peptide shots

as simple acts of self-improvement versus the technocrats obsessed with redesigning

humanity as an alternative to politics?

Enter: The Looksmaxx Generation

Meet Clavicular, a 19-year-old TikTok poster child for the transhumanist-lite movement. He

speaks openly about the procedures he plans to get done to “LOOKSMAXX” - his goal is to

look like model Sean O’Pry.

“Looksmaxxing” is a term for maximizing one’s physical attractiveness through various

methods, from skincare and fitness to extreme cosmetic interventions. It originated on online

incel forums and migrated to TikTok. There’s “softmaxxing” (minor lifestyle tweaks) and

“hardmaxxing” (surgery, fillers, jaw reconstruction, you name it).

At first glance, it sounds harmless a kid trying to look his best. But trained ears know that the

language in these communities' drips with dysphoria and self-criticism. It’s a constant cycle

of “not enough.”

And I, for one, can’t unpack alone what this does to young men growing up in it.

Algorithmic Insecurity

We can’t ignore the hopelessness that circulates freely in these digital echo chambers.

Algorithmic processes now push superiority ideals to impressionable users, reinforcing a

simple truth of late capitalism: the best consumer is an insecure one.

As TikToker RustyJason put it, “social media fuelled mass insecurity.” He points out that

young women were long the main targets of online beauty pressures but now, young men are

being pulled in too.

These boys exist in echo chambers filled with red-pill and black-pill content communities

that recycle the same nihilistic language over and over. Terms like rope-maxxing (referring to

suicide by hanging) spread despair disguised as “self-improvement.” Because the truth is: the

black pill isn’t about hope. It’s about surrender.

(If you haven’t already, read [“From Red Pill to Black

Pill”](https://www.newamerica.org/political-reform/reports/misogynist-incels-and-male-

supremacism/red-pill-to-black-pill/) — it’s chilling.)

So Where Does That Leave Us?

I keep wondering what marinating in these spaces will do to them and to us. When the poster

boys of “progress” are people like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, men known for their

misogyny, racism, and god complexes, what hope do we have that “enhancement” won’t just

become another form of servitude?

Maybe looksmaxxing is just the new BBL, and transhumanism is just the same old story:

people trying to engineer themselves into worthiness, one filler, implant, or nootropic at a

time.

Because maybe the cyborgs aren’t coming maybe they’re already here.