Guys are obsessing over climbing from "subhuman" to "Chad" on a looks scale.
An entire hierarchy where you're either ascending through the ranks or you're stuck being "sub5" forever.
The bottom tier? "Subhuman" — supposedly the ugliest 1% of people. Then you've got "low-tier normie," "mid-tier normie," "high-tier normie." Above that is "Chadlite." And at the top sits "Chad" — the peak of male attractiveness, the guys who supposedly have life on easy mode.
The whole goal? Ascending. Moving up the tiers through strategic self-improvement, surgical interventions, and obsessive optimization of your facial features.
Creators have built massive followings pushing this mentality. Teenagers are posting before-and-afters showing their "ascension" from normie to Chadlite. Discord servers are full of guys asking how to ascend faster, which surgeries will push them up a tier, whether they're destined to stay sub5 forever.
Here's why this whole system is toxic — and what to focus on instead.
The PSL Tier System Is Built on Toxic Foundations
The tier system comes from forums called PUAHate, SlutHate, and Lookism — places with deeply misogynistic histories tied to incel ideology. One of these forums gained notoriety after a user murdered six people in 2014, citing the community's ideology in his manifesto.
That's where this ranking system was born. Not from psychology research. Not from attractiveness studies. From communities obsessed with the idea that looks determine your entire worth as a human being.
The tiers themselves are harsh and dehumanizing. Calling people "subhuman"? Reducing someone's entire existence to whether they're a "low-tier normie" or "high-tier Becky"? That's not self-improvement culture. That's cruelty disguised as self-awareness.
And the "ascending" concept? It's designed to keep you hooked. You're never good enough. There's always another tier to chase. Even if you make it to Chadlite, you're not Chad yet. It's an endless treadmill of inadequacy.
The Obsession With "Ascending" Destroys Your Mental Health
Here's what actually happens when you start thinking in terms of tiers and ascending:
You start noticing flaws you never cared about before. Your canthal tilt. Your nasolabial folds. The exact angle between your neck and chin. Suddenly, you're dissecting every photo, every reflection, every angle, looking for proof that you're moving up — or worse, confirmation that you're stuck.
Kids as young as 17 are asking which human growth hormone to take. Teenagers are planning jaw surgeries before they've even finished growing. One Discord moderator says he's uncomfortable watching his peers ask "is it over?" at 14 years old because they got rated a certain tier.
That's not self-improvement. That's self-destruction.
When you tie your entire self-worth to ascending through an arbitrary ranking system created by misogynistic forums, you're setting yourself up for permanent dissatisfaction. You'll never be satisfied. There's always another flaw to fix, another surgery to consider, another tier to chase.
What Looksmaxxing Actually Is
At its core, looksmaxxing is about improving your appearance through intentional effort. The community divides it into two categories:
Softmaxxing: Things you can do without surgery. Getting lean, building muscle, fixing your skin, growing your hair out, dressing better, improving posture. Basically, optimizing what you've already got.
Hardmaxxing: Surgical interventions. Jaw surgery, chin implants, buccal fat removal, palate expanders. Permanent changes that cost serious money and carry real risk.
The idea is that your appearance determines not just how attractive you are, but your entire life trajectory. Dating success, career opportunities, social status — all supposedly tied to hitting a certain rating on the PSL scale (named after the forums where this all started: PUAHate, SlutHate, Lookism).
And look, there's some truth buried in here. Appearance does matter. How you present yourself affects how people respond to you. Taking care of your body, your skin, your grooming — that's not shallow. It's self-respect.
But looksmaxxing takes it to an extreme that's genuinely unhealthy.
What You Should Actually Focus On (Instead of Ascending)
Strip away the tier obsession and the toxic ideology, and there are legitimate ways to improve your appearance. But they have nothing to do with ascending or hitting Chad status.
Get in shape. Lowering body fat reveals your facial structure. Building muscle improves your proportions and how clothes fit. That's real. That matters. But not because it moves you up a tier — because it makes you healthier and more confident.
Develop a solid grooming routine. Clear skin, a good haircut, basic hygiene. This isn't about optimizing 46 facial dimensions. It's about taking care of yourself consistently.
Dress better. Fit matters more than brands. Clothes that work for your actual body will always look better than expensive pieces that don't fit right.
Work on your social skills. Confidence, charisma, humor, emotional intelligence — these matter infinitely more than whether you're a high-tier normie or Chadlite. Plenty of guys who don't fit conventional attractiveness do extremely well socially because they've developed themselves beyond appearance.
Build real skills. Career success, hobbies, talents, relationships. The things that actually create a fulfilling life have nothing to do with your PSL rating.
The guys who are genuinely doing well — socially, romantically, professionally — aren't the ones obsessing over their tier placement. They're the ones who've focused on becoming competent, confident, and interesting people.
The Trap of the Ascending Mindset
Here's the core problem with the ascending mentality: it treats self-improvement as a destination instead of a process.
Real self-improvement isn't about ascending to Chad. It's about building a life where you're confident, capable, and genuinely fulfilled. Where your worth isn't determined by how strangers on Discord rate your facial harmony.
Focus on the basics: fitness, grooming, style, social skills, real-world competence. Do those consistently, and your life will improve. Not because you ascended to a higher tier, but because you became a more capable, confident person.