A 19-year-old Canadian college student spent about $7,000 to attend a week-long looksmaxxing camp in Los Angeles without telling his parents, then returned home planning to pursue $40,000 in facial surgery.
William Munro, a first-year business and management student at Western University from London, Ontario, left his family home in late September. His parents grew concerned when they found his bed empty one morning and reached him by phone while he waited at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Munro had already bought $2,000 in plane tickets to Los Angeles and paid $5,000 to enroll in Camp Looksmax. He told his parents he had won a free spot through a YouTube giveaway and offered only a basic description of the trend.
“It was a super radical decision,” Munro told USA Today. “I just thought, I’m a young kid. Money comes and goes. So might as well get the experience out.”
He funded the trip with money earned from odd jobs since age 16 and from online gambling on sports and baccarat. Munro applied to the camp expecting rejection. An acceptance call came around 10 p.m. the night before it began.
Camp Looksmax ran for seven days beginning Oct. 1 at a house in Los Angeles. Hosted by influencer Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, and co-creator Hexumlite, the program drew 15 young men. Organizers livestreamed the event around the clock on Kick and promoted it as an educational retreat featuring a private chef, grooming and style advice, cold-approach practice with women, presentations on jaw surgery, club outings, and a yacht party.
On the first day, participants introduced themselves by sharing physical “stats,” including height, weight and penis size, along with their “blackpill moment,” a term used in looksmaxxing communities for the realization that appearance heavily influences social and romantic outcomes. Activities later included door-to-door promotion of an online casino that sponsors Clavicular.
Looksmaxxing is an online movement in which participants seek to maximize physical attractiveness through fitness, grooming, style, and in some cases cosmetic procedures or fringe practices such as bonesmashing. Peters has become one of its most visible promoters. He has faced public criticism for language used on livestreams, associations with figures including Andrew Tate, and criminal charges of rape, drugging for sexual intercourse, and providing alcohol to a minor stemming from a May 2025 incident in Massachusetts. Those charges were dropped shortly after the camp, according to USA Today. Peters has denied the allegations.
Munro said he signed up while the charges remained active because he accepted Peters’ denial. One female friend later unfollowed him on social media, which he linked to the controversies. Most of his other friends viewed the trip positively. “Probably every person” his age knows Clavicular’s name, Munro said.
He describes himself as a “decent-looking guy” with a solid physique who needs more focus on facial aesthetics. At the camp he learned about double jaw surgery, a procedure that repositions the upper and lower jaws. Though sometimes performed for functional reasons such as correcting underbites, it is also sought for cosmetic purposes and carries risks including fractures and changes in hearing.
Munro now plans to spend $40,000 on the surgery and intends to pay for it himself. He expects his parents will come to understand after a thorough explanation. “It’s a lot of money, but for me, it’s worth it,” he said. “If I’m good-looking and I’m going to go talk to people in general — doesn’t have to be the opposite sex — I’m gonna have a much more positive experience.”
Samuel Cornell, a research fellow at the University of Queensland who studies the looksmaxxing community, described influencers in the space as “manipulation specialists” who capitalize on young men’s insecurities. A representative for Clavicular did not respond to requests for comment from USA Today.
Munro has returned home. He said the main practical lesson from the camp was the value of starting conversations rather than remaining quiet. His approach to speaking with women shifted as well: “You go see a hot chick. Go try to hit on her, like, it doesn’t matter.”
