# looksmaxxing.guide

Site grounding for agents without the looksmaxxing.guide repository: its seven charter files, unchanged except that headings sit two levels lower and every term id the pinned version defines, in the frontmatter blocks too, is followed by its label from the pinned version. The YAML blocks are therefore for reading, not parsing; the repo files are the source.

- Domain: looksmaxxing.guide
- Pins: editorial-charter@1.3.1, portfolio-icp@1.0.0
- Repo: a1456946daf0d42a503a073692371db7557655e4 (committed 2026-10-03T13:51:36-07:00)
- Built 2026-10-05T03:25:29+00:00
- Pages: https://taxonomy.tfw.bz/sites/looksmaxxing.guide/

## BRAND.md

Version 1.1.1 · status draft · sha256 73dcd52b504f91d203f6c7f5ae8f6465a66f8b57cbd40183dc0dec2599a4ade8

```yaml
charter: 1
version: 1.1.1
profile: editorial-charter@1.3.1
domain: looksmaxxing.guide
status: draft
reviewed_by: ""
archetype: charter:brand-archetype-sage (sage)
secondary_archetype: charter:brand-archetype-everyman (everyman)
claims:
  - id: c1
    text: The site sells no procedures, supplements or coaching and takes no affiliate revenue from clinics or product brands.
    basis: charter:claim-basis-documented (documented)
    source: "about.manifest.json copy.commercialStance; https://looksmaxxing.guide/en/editorial-standards/ (read 2026-10-03); public/ads.txt authorizes no sellers"
  - id: c2
    text: Guides prefer peer-reviewed research over other sources, cite every claim above the community-reported tier, and label community-reported observations as such.
    basis: charter:claim-basis-documented (documented)
    source: "Editorial standards page, sections Sourcing hierarchy and Evidence rating: src/pages/[lang]/editorial-standards.astro; https://looksmaxxing.guide/en/editorial-standards/ (read 2026-10-03)"
  - id: c3
    text: A human editor reviews the final words and sources of every article.
    basis: charter:claim-basis-documented (documented)
    source: "Editorial standards page, section AI use disclosure: src/pages/[lang]/editorial-standards.astro; https://looksmaxxing.guide/en/editorial-standards/ (read 2026-10-03)"
  - id: c4
    text: Founded in 2026 by Thomas Prommer.
    basis: charter:claim-basis-documented (documented)
    source: "about.manifest.json entity.foundingDate (source: first commit in repo) and entity.founder"
```

### BRAND

#### Name and entity
looksmaxxing.guide (alternate name Looksmaxxing Guide), founded 2026-04-12 and published by Thomas Prommer (about.manifest.json). Entity home: https://looksmaxxing.guide/en/about/. Contact comms@flywheel.bz. Per strategy decision S-3, the site keeps its own footprint: no shared analytics, author identities or cross-links with the mens-aesthetic-tourism flagship.

#### Promise
A straight answer on what works, what is hype and what the evidence says, with every claim labelled by how well it is supported.

#### Personality
The sage: a research desk that reads the studies, ranks the evidence and says where it runs out. The everyman second: it talks to the reader like a well-read friend, knows the subculture's words and never mocks the people using them. It is firm about risk (bonesmashing is self-harm, adult mewing does not reshape bone) and calm about everything else.

#### Visual pointers
No design/tokens.json or DESIGN.md exists in this repo yet. The look comes from the shared @flywheel/content theme plus src/styles/theme-looksmax.css and the pillar colours in src/lib/pillars.ts. Point here once tokens exist.

#### Do / Don't
Do: answer the question in the first paragraph. Do: label each claim as studied, clinical practice or community-reported. Do: send medical decisions to a licensed professional. Do: explain subculture terms before using them. Do: date every review.
Don't: write how-tos for bonesmashing or other self-harm. Don't: use aspirational identity lines like "become a mogger". Don't: recommend clinics or surgeons. Don't: run before-and-after photos without a source. Don't: mock the community.

## VOICE.md

Version 1.0.1 · status draft · sha256 7d65655c6b008beedba610a9abb740e9e80451c44860093897cb1a9f65560afb

```yaml
charter: 1
version: 1.0.1
profile: editorial-charter@1.3.1
domain: looksmaxxing.guide
status: draft
reviewed_by: ""
register: charter:voice-register-consumer (consumer)
person: charter:voice-person-second (second person)
languages: [en]
addresses: [skeptical-self-improvers, procedure-researchers]
essence: A skeptical research desk that gives men a straight answer on what works, what is hype and what the evidence says.
```

<!-- DRAFT, 2026-10-03: agent draft from the template (rules/voice-profile-template.md), mined from strategy-work/projects/looksmaxxing-guide/strategy/positioning.md, decisions S-7 and S-8, and published pages. Pending Tom's review. -->

### VOICE: looksmaxxing.guide (looksmaxxing.guide)

> Loaded by /humanizer (Step 0) and the content publishing gate (drafting Step 1
> + humanizer Step 3). If absent, both fall back to generic mode.

#### 1. Identity & Register
- Voice owner / who speaks: the looksmaxxing.guide editorial team ("Editorial Team" byline), "we" on policy pages, "you" to the reader in guides.
- Register: practitioner-literate consumer editorial (a research desk, not a coach).
- Language/locale: en (other locales are translations and are not indexed, decision S-2).
- One-line essence: "A skeptical research desk that gives men a straight answer on what works, what is hype and what the evidence says."

#### 2. Audience
- Primary audience: men, mostly 18 to 34, who meet a looksmaxxing claim on Reddit or TikTok and want a credible answer (skeptical self-improvers). Secondary: readers researching a procedure who arrived through subculture terms (procedure researchers).
- Reader's job-to-be-done: find out whether a method or trend works and whether it is safe, before trying it or booking a consultation.
- Assume they know the slang (mewing, mogging, canthal tilt, hunter eyes, PSL). Always explain the biology, the evidence level and the risk.

#### 3. Tone Axes  (mark where this voice sits)
- Formal   ────●──  Casual
- Authority ─●────  Peer
- Serious  ──●────  Playful
- Concise  ─●─────  Expansive
- Default editorial_track: factual

#### 4. Person, POV & Cadence
- Person: second (you) in guides and glossary; first-plural (we) on policy and about pages.
- Sentence rhythm: short declarative sentences; the verdict comes first, then the mechanism, then the risk.
- Paragraph length: 2 to 5 sentences.
- Structural tics to keep: "What the evidence says", "What the community claims vs. what studies show", "Risks and unknowns", "When to consult a licensed professional" (decision S-7). Avoid: listicles of "best" procedures, countdown headlines.

#### 5. Lexicon
- Preferred terms: "community-reported", "no evidence available", "disputed", "licensed professional", "evidence review"; subculture terms explained on first use.
- Banned phrases (beyond humanizer's generic list): "become a mogger", "become a Chad", "unlock your jawline potential", "guaranteed", "SHOCKING", "best looksmaxxing surgery", "take finasteride" (as advice), incel-forum jokes.
- Capitalization & spelling rules: "looksmaxxing" with two x and lowercase; "looksmaxxing.guide" lowercase; drug names lowercase generic (finasteride, minoxidil).
- Domain-jargon level: subculture vocabulary is fine once defined; medical terms used the way a dermatologist or surgeon would use them.

#### 6. E-E-A-T / Experience Claims  (anchors gate Step 7)
- Authentic experience this voice can claim: none first-hand. The about page states the team are not doctors and read the literature. No "we tried", no patient stories.
- Named author + bio source: byline "Editorial Team" on all 91 English articles. No named author or medical reviewer exists. Do not invent one (strategy-work positioning.md leaves the byline question open).
- Quantified credential for bios: none available. Leave empty until a named author or reviewer is recruited.
- Citation posture: peer-reviewed studies first, professional guidelines second, market data third, community reports fourth and labelled (https://looksmaxxing.guide/en/about/). Reddit quotes at most 20 words with username and permalink (decision S-6).
- Original-data hooks this voice owns: the looksmax score calculator on pillar pages, the influencer profile set (claims vs. credentials), the glossary.
- "What I got wrong" angle: the corrections policy on the editorial standards page; where a trend was covered before evidence changed, say what changed and when.

#### 7. Gold-Standard Examples  (few-shot anchor, highest leverage)
- Example A (from https://looksmaxxing.guide/en/glossary/mewing/, read 2026-10-03): "For adults: the structural changes Mew claims (lifted maxilla, forward midface projection) are not supported by current evidence. What likely is happening: muscle hypertrophy in the tongue and lower face, slight tightening of the under-jaw area, and possibly improved breathing if mouth-breathing was a problem. None of this is “skull remodeling.”"
  - Why on-voice: verdict first, then what is really happening, no mockery of the reader.
- Example B (from https://looksmaxxing.guide/en/glossary/bonesmashing/, read 2026-10-03): "The practice keeps getting normalized by high-profile creators retelling it as anecdote. In May 2026, looksmaxxing streamer Clavicular told the Impaulsive podcast that he struck his own jaw with a hammer “three or four times” as a teenager, then switched to a sports trophy after his parents hid every hammer in the house. He told the story as a funny biographical detail. The risks below are what that story leaves out."
  - Why on-voice: community-literate, sourced and dated, and turns a creator anecdote toward risk.

#### 8. Anti-References  (do NOT sound like)
- The collapsed looksmaxing.guide: thin how-to SEO churn with no evidence layer.
- Aspirational short-form looksmaxxing creators ("30-day mewing transformation").
- Incel-adjacent forum tone (lookism.net, incels.is): ratings, slurs, blackpill fatalism.
- Clinic marketing pages that promise results and hide risks.

## STRATEGY.md

Version 1.0.1 · status draft · sha256 d6e27f3eff0c8f836759cf23d6360c6512f2f9188be44f0d98c61e54bb8ef38b

```yaml
charter: 1
version: 1.0.1
profile: editorial-charter@1.3.1
domain: looksmaxxing.guide
status: draft
reviewed_by: ""
mission_shape: charter:mission-shape-serve-x-to-achieve-y (serve X to achieve Y)
horizon: charter:horizon-12m (12 months)
positioning:
  primary: charter:positioning-axis-authority-depth (authority depth)
  secondary: [charter:positioning-axis-speed-of-answer (speed of answer)]
audiences:
  - kind: charter:audience-kind-consumer (consumer)
    name: Skeptical self-improvers
    segment: skeptical-self-improvers
    job_to_be_done: Find out whether a looksmaxxing method or trend works, and whether it is safe, before trying it.
  - kind: charter:audience-kind-consumer (consumer)
    name: Procedure researchers
    segment: procedure-researchers
    job_to_be_done: Understand a cosmetic procedure or treatment (hair, face, dental, body), its evidence, risks and cost, before talking to a clinic.
profile_required: true
```

### STRATEGY

#### Mission
We help men who want to improve how they look and live get a straight answer on what works, what is hype and what the evidence says, so they can skip the hard sell and the risky fads.

#### Positioning
Authority and depth first: every guide ranks its evidence (peer-reviewed studies, then guidelines, then market data, then community reports) and says where the evidence ends. Reddit threads and TikTok creators have volume and authenticity but no evidence layer, and the dead looksmaxing.guide amplified the subculture without one. Speed of answer second: the reader gets the verdict in the first paragraph, then the detail. We concede locality and price: we do not list clinics or compare their prices, and we are not the first place a trend shows up.

#### Audiences
Skeptical self-improvers are men, mostly 18 to 34 and in English-speaking countries, who meet a looksmaxxing claim on Reddit or TikTok ("does mewing work", "is bonesmashing dangerous") and want a more credible answer than the forum. They know the slang; we explain the biology. Procedure researchers searched for a procedure such as a hair transplant, rhinoplasty or jaw surgery and arrived through subculture vocabulary. They may not call themselves looksmaxxers, and they need evidence, risks and cost before they speak to a clinic.

#### Competitors
Reddit communities such as r/LooksmaxingAdvice, short-form TikTok looksmaxxing creators, forum sites such as lookism.net, dermatologists and surgeons on Instagram, and the collapsed EMD looksmaxing.guide. Source: strategy-work/projects/looksmaxxing-guide/strategy/positioning.md.

#### What we will not do
No how-to content for bonesmashing or other self-harm. No clinic or surgeon recommendations. No aspirational identity content or PSL-rating drills. No forum or user accounts. No ads, affiliate links or sponsored content in Wave 1. No content aimed at readers under 18, and an age gate on surgical pages. No cross-links, shared analytics or shared bylines with the flagship or sister properties. Source: strategy-work decisions S-3, S-4, S-5, S-7, S-8.

#### Bets for the horizon
1. Rank the English cornerstone guides and glossary for the subculture cluster (moves gsc_clicks).
2. Keep only English pages indexed until 20 core articles rank top 20, then pick the next locale (moves pages_indexed).
3. Make the evidence reviews worth finishing, so readers read to the end rather than bounce back to Reddit (moves content_engaged).

## AUDIENCE.md

Version 1.0.1 · status draft · sha256 8c08e3dbcfe334f54c349ae74da086be74cad374fc0792e8ec0a17e1a3ee41d2

```yaml
charter: 1
version: 1.0.1
profile: editorial-charter@1.3.1
domain: looksmaxxing.guide
status: draft
reviewed_by: ""
segments:
  - slug: skeptical-self-improvers
    name: Skeptical self-improvers
    kind: charter:audience-kind-consumer (consumer)
    archetype: icp:unmapped (Unmapped)  # no pinned portfolio-icp archetype fits a reader checking a self-improvement claim, see LOOKSMAX-Q3
    priority: charter:segment-priority-primary (primary)
    job_to_be_done: Find out whether a looksmaxxing method or trend works, and whether it is safe, before trying it.
    funnel_stages: [charter:funnel-stage-awareness (awareness), charter:funnel-stage-consideration (consideration)]
    languages: [en]
    regions: [US, GB, AU, CA, IN]
    demographics:
      age_bands: [charter:age-band-18-24 (18 to 24), charter:age-band-25-34 (25 to 34)]
      gender_skew: charter:gender-skew-male (male)
    pains:
      - Forum consensus mixes useful advice with dangerous nonsense.
      - Creators sell aspiration, not evidence.
    channels: [charter:channel-organic-search (organic search), charter:channel-social-video (social video)]
    entry_paths: ["/en/glossary/*", "/en/looks/*", "/en/influencers/*"]
    size_signal: {metric: monthly_searches, value: 757820, unit: count}
    evidence:
      default: {basis: charter:evidence-basis-assumed (assumed), source: "agent draft 2026-10-03 from strategy-work/projects/looksmaxxing-guide/strategy/positioning.md (primary reader) and STRATEGY.md audiences", as_of: 2026-10-03}
      size_signal: {basis: charter:evidence-basis-researched (researched), source: "strategy-work/projects/looksmaxxing-guide/README.md (addressable subculture cluster 757,820/mo US, DataForSEO 2026-04-11)", as_of: 2026-04-11}
      regions: {basis: charter:evidence-basis-researched (researched), source: "strategy-work/projects/looksmaxxing-guide/decisions.md S-2 (US, UK, AU, CA, IN per Google Trends)", as_of: 2026-04-12}
      demographics: {basis: charter:evidence-basis-assumed (assumed), source: "strategy-work/projects/looksmaxxing-guide/strategy/positioning.md ('18-34, male-skewed'), an assumption, not a measurement", as_of: 2026-10-03}

  - slug: procedure-researchers
    name: Procedure researchers
    kind: charter:audience-kind-consumer (consumer)
    archetype: icp:self-pay-medical-planner (Self-pay medical planner)
    priority: charter:segment-priority-secondary (secondary)
    job_to_be_done: Understand a cosmetic procedure or treatment (hair, face, dental, body), its evidence, risks and cost, before talking to a clinic.
    funnel_stages: [charter:funnel-stage-consideration (consideration), charter:funnel-stage-decision (decision)]
    languages: [en]
    regions: [US, GB, AU, CA]
    pains:
      - Clinic marketing hides risks and real costs.
      - Subculture advice overstates what procedures change.
    channels: [charter:channel-organic-search (organic search)]
    entry_paths: ["/en/looks/*"]
    evidence:
      default: {basis: charter:evidence-basis-assumed (assumed), source: "agent draft 2026-10-03 from strategy-work/projects/looksmaxxing-guide/strategy/positioning.md (secondary reader: medical-tourism shopper)", as_of: 2026-10-03}
```

### AUDIENCE

#### Skeptical self-improvers
Men who meet a looksmaxxing claim on Reddit or short-form video and want a more credible take than the forum consensus. They search "does mewing work" or "is bonesmashing dangerous" and are fluent in the slang. They want the verdict, the evidence and the risk, in that order. Source: strategy-work positioning.md.

#### Procedure researchers
Readers who searched for a procedure (hair transplant, finasteride, rhinoplasty, jaw surgery, veneers) and arrived through subculture terms. They are weighing a real medical or cosmetic decision and need evidence, risks and cost before a consultation. Source: strategy-work positioning.md, research/keyword-map.md.

#### Excluded audiences
Readers under 18, readers looking for bonesmashing or other self-harm how-tos, readers looking for PSL-rating drills or identity content, and clinics that want paid placement. Source: STRATEGY.md section What we will not do, strategy-work positioning.md (anti-reader).

## MONETIZATION.md

Version 1.0.1 · status draft · sha256 60a0bfe142a83bafe76c4a9bbc516ccc6d5918b523ee704b089cc148462ac112

```yaml
charter: 1
version: 1.0.1
profile: editorial-charter@1.3.1
domain: looksmaxxing.guide
status: draft
reviewed_by: ""
revenue_lines:
  - slug: referral-links-wave-2
    name: Referral and affiliate links, Wave 2
    type: charter:revenue-type-affiliate (affiliate)
    partner: {name: "None chosen", entity: null, program_url: null}
    network: "Not chosen"
    program_status: charter:program-status-unchecked (unchecked)
    commission_model: charter:commission-model-unknown (unknown)
    placements: [charter:placement-type-inline-link (inline link)]
    segments: [procedure-researchers]
    kpi_key: affiliate_clicked
    status: charter:revenue-status-idea (idea)
    share_band: charter:revenue-share-band-major (major)
    start_trigger: A separate Wave 2 monetization decision (strategy-work decisions S-5) and an update to the editorial standards page, which today rules out affiliate revenue from clinics and product brands.
    evidence:
      default: {basis: charter:evidence-basis-assumed (assumed), source: "agent draft 2026-10-03 from strategy-work/projects/looksmaxxing-guide/README.md ('referral Wave 2+') and src/components/Analytics.astro (affiliate_outbound_click wired, no links live)", as_of: 2026-10-03}
  - slug: display-ads-wave-2
    name: Display ads, Wave 2
    type: charter:revenue-type-display-ads (display ads)
    commission_model: charter:commission-model-rpm (RPM)
    placements: [charter:placement-type-display-slot (display slot)]
    segments: [skeptical-self-improvers]
    kpi_key: ad_revenue_recorded
    status: charter:revenue-status-idea (idea)
    share_band: charter:revenue-share-band-minor (minor)
    start_trigger: The same Wave 2 decision, then an ads.txt entry for the network.
    evidence:
      default: {basis: charter:evidence-basis-assumed (assumed), source: "agent draft 2026-10-03 from public/ads.txt (placeholder, no sellers authorized) and strategy-work decisions S-5", as_of: 2026-10-03}
```

### MONETIZATION

#### Revenue model
Nothing is live. Strategy decision S-5 sets monetization to zero in Wave 1: no ads, no affiliate links, no sponsored content, no paid placements, to build trust on a health-adjacent topic first. Wave 2 monetization needs its own decision. The two lines below are ideas from the strategy notes, and nobody has signed them. Share bands are rough guesses at the 12-month horizon.

#### Disclosure rules
The editorial standards page says that if monetization ever starts, the affected page carries a clear disclosure at the top and the policy page is updated to match. That rule applies to every line here. No line may change what a guide concludes about a product, procedure or creator.

#### Not monetised
Clinic, surgeon, supplement, app and coaching mentions, influencer profiles, surgical and medical pages, and anything aimed at readers under 18. No paid placement in rankings or recommendation lists.

#### Referral and affiliate links, Wave 2
Outbound referral or affiliate links on procedure pages. The analytics event is already wired in src/components/Analytics.astro, but no link is live and no partner is chosen. Today it would contradict the published editorial standards, so it stays an idea until Tom decides Wave 2.

#### Display ads, Wave 2
Display ads on non-medical pages. public/ads.txt authorizes no sellers. An idea until the Wave 2 decision.

## KPI.md

Version 1.0.1 · status draft · sha256 79259c00925ce29eff5a77ef65ab41e9dae21907231ce1475a99d1b5758457d9

```yaml
charter: 1
version: 1.0.1
profile: editorial-charter@1.3.1
domain: looksmaxxing.guide
status: draft
reviewed_by: ""
template: charter:kpi-template-editorial-traffic (editorial traffic)
template_override: ""
kpis:
  - {key: pageview_recorded, role: charter:kpi-role-primary (primary)}
  - {key: gsc_clicks, role: charter:kpi-role-secondary (secondary)}
  - {key: gsc_impressions, role: charter:kpi-role-secondary (secondary)}
  - {key: avg_position, role: charter:kpi-role-secondary (secondary)}
  - {key: content_engaged, role: charter:kpi-role-secondary (secondary)}
  - {key: newsletter_subscribed, role: charter:kpi-role-secondary (secondary)}
  - {key: affiliate_clicked, role: charter:kpi-role-secondary (secondary)}
  - {key: ad_revenue_recorded, role: charter:kpi-role-secondary (secondary)}
  - {key: crawl_errors, role: charter:kpi-role-guardrail (guardrail)}
  - {key: pages_indexed, role: charter:kpi-role-guardrail (guardrail)}
catalog_sha: 4304fc97e9ac457725bdc25dcbb724c36257a707cbb3c237b69cd3e7ba04ac39
```

### KPI

#### Why these metrics
The site is live and run on reach in Wave 1, so pageview_recorded is primary. gsc_clicks, gsc_impressions and avg_position show whether the English guides and glossary rank, which is the Wave 2 trigger in strategy decision S-2. content_engaged shows whether readers finish the evidence reviews. newsletter_subscribed comes from the template; the site has no newsletter yet. affiliate_clicked and ad_revenue_recorded track the two Wave 2 ideas in MONETIZATION.md and stay at zero until one goes live. crawl_errors and pages_indexed are guardrails: the site publishes eight languages but only English should be indexed.

#### Reading guide
Read weekly pageview_recorded against the target in kpi-mgmt once one is set; none exists yet. Rising impressions with flat clicks points to titles and snippets. pages_indexed climbing past the English page count means non-English pages are leaking into the index. crawl_errors must not rise as traffic grows.

#### Review cadence
Monthly while the site is in Wave 1, and quarterly against the 12-month bets in STRATEGY.md.

## taxonomy/binding.yaml

Version 1.0.1 · status draft · sha256 337be17212f7c91d5ad5104d0740d6f77ac20fe2aa206a44d11740b65233cade

```yaml
charter: 1
version: 1.0.1
profile: editorial-charter@1.3.1
domain: looksmaxxing.guide
status: draft
reviewed_by: ""
iab_content: ["iab:552", "iab:223", "iab:286"]
icp_profile: portfolio-icp@1.0.0
content_profile: null
languages: [en, es, fr, de, it, pt, tr, sv]
regions: [US, GB, AU, CA, IN]
```