"Looksmaxxing" and "Cleanliness": Clavicular, Frank Reynolds, and The Cult of "Purity"
1. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (2013) 2. Segal (2026)
Here lie two images of two very distinct men. To the left lies Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds in the hit sitcom "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," bald, mostly naked, and covered in hand sanitizer. Meanwhile, on the right, stands Braden Peters AKA Clavicular, getting "dolled up" before a runway show in New York.
But what do these two men have in common, if anything at all? Both images reflect different branches of the same desire for "purity."
On one hand, while known as just one part of a whole cast of "scummy" characters in It's Always Sunny, Episode 7 of Season 9 shows a different side of Frank Reynolds. As the name of the episode implies, "The Gang Gets Quarantined," after Frank, in fear of a recent flu outbreak, locks himself as well as the other 4 in their Pub to avoid getting sick and interacting with the outside world [citation]. While the episode itself was released in 2013, it eerily reflects many of the same sentiments one might have felt during 2020's shutdown due to the rise in COVID-19 Cases. While many shut their doors and huddled close, another batch of people panicked and scrambled to their nearest stores to stock up on items such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and various improvised masks.
3. (Unknown 2020) 4. Roark and The Idaho Post-Register (2020)
Frank, similarly, grows paranoid about contamination as the others appear to be unwell and break quarantine to deliver pizza, run beer, and even keep body hair. While the episode is meant to be comedic, Frank is depicted as unwell and as a representation of the ugliness that rears its head in the face of survivorship and disease, much like in 2020, when shame and ridicule surrounded overbuying, home remedies, vaccine conspiracies, and even ridiculous social-distancing equipment. While most of what Frank Reynolds (and the general population) did in 2020 was medically unsound and even overkill, there is a clear attempt to be clean, or, as Frank puts it, "just [wanting] to be pure."
5. Peters (2026) 6. Peters (2026)
On the other hand, Clavicular is a self-proclaimed “looksmaxxer” known not only for his unsavory comments but also for advocating the optimization of every aspect of the body, including physical health and bodily and facial aesthetics, especially for young men. At first glance, Clavicular seems like an ordinary male influencer, marketing himself as another young man tapped into the “manosphere's” fitness and aesthetic culture of the 21st century, including misogynistic comments about women and degrading comments to any men who do not yet fit his standards.
Why then is he so controversial beyond this?
While physical fitness is encouraged, Clavicular also preaches “black-pill” culture, which determines that dating success is based solely on genetics; thus, to reach “peakdom”, men are encouraged to partake in body modifications, such as “bone-smashing,” and supplements such as anabolic steroids, questionable peptides, as well as (allegedly) meth [citation]. Despite the alarming medical malpractice, eugenics, and, ironically, “beauty is pain” talk, men like Clavicular are still hailed as the peak of masculinity and a figure that other young men aspire to emulate.
"So, what's the issue? Aren't they both engaged in Sisyphean tasks that ultimately deem them deviant freaks we should clutch our purses around?" The answer is a lot more complicated, actually.
Emile Durkheim's "Elementary Forms of Religious Life" serves as a foundation for understanding why we deem certain acts detestable or acceptable. In his own terms, Durkheim states that nothing is inherently sacred or profane, but rather the meanings which society superimposes upon an act, item, or person can transform them. Following his school of thought, Mary Douglass elaborates on these ideas by applying the metaphor of dirt and cleanliness in her book "Purity and Danger". Much like the dichotomy of sanctity/profanity, what is deemed as "Dirty" by society is not simply filthy in a tangible sense, but rather, in a social context that places said item (or person) outside of the realm of what is deemed sensible. What is deemed as filth, gross, distasteful, "yucky," etc., is simply something out of place that goes against social norms of "sense and sensibility".
Douglas' explanation is best applicable to Frank (as well as the average citizen in 2020); being dirty and impure meant contact with the outside world. However, in this, Frank, as well as the public, himself becomes "The Dirt," by shutting himself away and rejecting his humanity in favor of "purity" as his mind constructs it. Frank eliminates from his life what he deems profane, including his children and friends, and sheds his hair in an effort to align himself with what he pictures as health. Not only is he rejected by his family, friends, and the world around him, but he is also rejected by the audience, who see not a cleansing ritual but a man who is unwell and must be rehabilitated (AKA "cleansed") to fit into the greater world after going rogue on his own.
Opposite to this stands Clavicular, a visually "appealing" man who engages in heinous acts of intentional micro bone fractures, unregulated supplements, and even possibly Schedule II controlled substances for the sake of "ascension" and"bodily optimization." Simply put, it is disgusting, vile, and concerning for the general public to see someone who engages in such dangerous practices and encourages others to follow in his footsteps. By all intents and purposes, he should be getting the same treatment as someone like Frank Reynolds. And yet, he remains placed on a pedestal of sorts. To his fans, Clavicular exists in sanctity, the clearest, purest form of masculinity, much like a totem pole within the manosphere, as Durkheim would describe the totem as representing collective ideals of misogyny, agency, and power. Clavicular and his cult following operate on their own logic and rules, which make little sense to outsiders and solidify them as the dirty, the profane, the “moids/foids”, subhumans, and malformed. This "church", in turn, serves as a protection against outside forces that may attempt to sanction or re-incorporate the group into greater society.
Functionally speaking, both Frank and Clavicular go into equally "nonrational," violent extremes in their search for this ideal, but they do not face a similar reckoning. Zooming out from these pop culture moments, there is something to be said for people who strive for idealized versions of themselves through a lens of health, thus aiming for perfection. Looking back at events such as the 2020 shutdown, bodybuilder culture, and the consumption of raw liver, it becomes clear that not all attempts at "clean" living are the same. While we may never be fully in on the trend (whether through sound logic or being berated by "incels"), what is clear is that these communities and mindsets will likely continue to evolve and emerge across society, given that one cannot exist without the other.
Bibliography
- Cullens, Heath. 2013. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
- Douglas, Mary. 2002. Purity and Danger. New York, NY: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc.
- Durkheim, Émile. 2008. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.
- Henderson, Cameron. 2026. “Self-Mutilation and Crystal Meth: The ‘Chad Mindset’ Enticing Maga’s Young Men.” The Telegraph. Retrieved (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/01/12/self-mutilation-crystal-meth-chad-mindset-young-maga-men/).
- Peters, Braden. 2026a. “Let's Try Bone Smashing”.
- Peters, Braden. 2026b. Clavicular Allegedly Injecting Peptides.
- Roark, John, and The Idaho Post-Register. 2020. Empty Rows of Hand Sanitizer at an Idaho Walgreens.
- Segal, Taryn. 2026. Braden “Clavicular” Peters Receiving Makeup before Runway Show.
- Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. 2013. Frank Reynolds Covered in Hand Sanitizer; “I Just Want to Be Pure.”
- Unknown. 2020. Pool Noodle Social Distancing Helmet.
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