Tag: looksmaxxing

March 6, 2025 11:54 pm

OPINION: Social media is ruining our relationship with the gym

By Vir Patwardhan 4177 Views gym culture, looksmaxxing, Masculinity, Social Media, toxic online culture, Vir Patwardhan

Being normal about going to the gym is becoming more and more challenging. What can easily be a culture of self improvement and health has become an exercise increasingly controlled by vanity and catalyzed by dangerous deprecating trends like “lookmaxxing.” Vir Patwardhan PZ ’28 argues that we cannot internalize these disordered pathways and must aspire to sustainable development.

Opinions

November 30, 2023 11:42 pm

OPINION: Mewing, mogging and male models — is Looksmaxxing the key to acceptance?

By Anjali Suva 14973 Views anjali suva, appearance, canthal tilt, Diets, Exercise, Francisco “Chico” Lachowski, jordan barrett, LGBTQ+, looksmaxxing, Masculinity, Men, mewing, midface ratio, Opinion, self acceptance, Sexuality, skincare, Social Pressure, Toxic Masculinity, wardrobe, Women

Anjali Suva PO ’27 believes that Looksmaxxing — an online trend popular among young men that promotes maximizing physical attractiveness through dubious regimens — should be reevaluated.

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TSL's Cartoon Caption Contest

We make a cartoon, you make the caption. Each week we vote and reveal the winner! Stay tuned for next semester's cartoon!

(Shixiao Yu • The Student Life)

1st place: Ah, wait. Power went out again... (Caption by Gabriel Dalton PO ’25)

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Enter to win a $20 gift-card giveaway with TSL's 5C “State of Music” — a fun, data-driven look at what students across the Claremont Colleges have been listening to this year. Your responses will help us share the collective soundtrack of the 5Cs. The winner will be selected at random at the end of the semester!

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Wizards Weekly: Every week cartoonist Sasha Matthews PO ’26 draws a new wizard.

Photo 1: “Wizard of the Diamond Realm,” Sept. 18, 2025.

Photo 2: “Wizard and Apprentice Ponder the Orb,” Oct. 2, 2025.

Photo 3: Wizard Internet These Days,” Oct. 9, 2025.

Photo 4: “My Parents (Both Wizards) Having Sex,” Oct. 23, 2025.

Photo 5: “Candy Summoning Wizards,” Oct. 31, 2025.

Photo 6: “Wizagons,” Nov. 7, 2025.

Photo 7: “Business Casual Wizard,” Nov. 14, 2025.

Photo 8: “Divorce Wizard,” Nov. 21, 2025.

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Wizards Weekly: Every week cartoonist Sasha Matthews PO ’26 draws a new wizard. Photo 1: “Wizard of the Diamond Realm,” Sept. 18, 2025. Photo 2: “Wizard and Apprentice Ponder the Orb,” Oct. 2, 2025. Photo 3: Wizard Internet These Days,” Oct. 9, 2025. Photo 4: “My Parents (Both Wizards) Having Sex,” Oct. 23, 2025. Photo 5: “Candy Summoning Wizards,” Oct. 31, 2025. Photo 6: “Wizagons,” Nov. 7, 2025. Photo 7: “Business Casual Wizard,” Nov. 14, 2025. Photo 8: “Divorce Wizard,” Nov. 21, 2025.

3 weeks ago

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1/9

At 7 p.m. last Saturday, Nov. 15, the Claremont Shades hosted SCAMFest, the annual collegiate acapella festival at the Claremont Colleges. After months of preparation, the Shades hosted this year’s event to an auditorium full of enthused Claremont students and visitors.

TSL sat down with The Claremont Shades’ President Harold Fuson PZ ’26 to discuss the process of planning such a large, lively event.

“It’s such a special night for so many people,” Fuson said. “To be able to put that event on and be a part of making it as special as it is is super cool and something we take a lot of pride in.”

This year, the event featured a lineup of all eight Claremont acapella groups, with performers travelling from UC Irvine, UCLA and USC.
Claremont’s Groove Nation hip-hop group performed just after the intermission, breaking up the musical acts with dynamic dance numbers that had the audience screaming in support.
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Words by Claire Welch and Ananya Vinay | Photo by Sarah Ziff
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

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At 7 p.m. last Saturday, Nov. 15, the Claremont Shades hosted SCAMFest, the annual collegiate acapella festival at the Claremont Colleges. After months of preparation, the Shades hosted this year’s event to an auditorium full of enthused Claremont students and visitors. TSL sat down with The Claremont Shades’ President Harold Fuson PZ ’26 to discuss the process of planning such a large, lively event. “It’s such a special night for so many people,” Fuson said. “To be able to put that event on and be a part of making it as special as it is is super cool and something we take a lot of pride in.” This year, the event featured a lineup of all eight Claremont acapella groups, with performers travelling from UC Irvine, UCLA and USC. Claremont’s Groove Nation hip-hop group performed just after the intermission, breaking up the musical acts with dynamic dance numbers that had the audience screaming in support. — Words by Claire Welch and Ananya Vinay | Photo by Sarah Ziff Read the full story at the link in our bio.

3 weeks ago

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2/9

This fall, the Pomona College Model United Nations team (PCMUN) revamped its annual conference, SageMUN, pivoting from focusing on college students to working with high schoolers. Director General Gabriel Dalton PO ‘26 described the impact this shift had on the conference.

“Because we’re a smaller conference, we’ve kind of positioned ourselves to be a little more beginner-friendly,” Dalton said. “For a lot of kids, it’s actually the very first MUN conference.”

As their conference has pivoted to target younger, less experienced MUNers, veteran PCMUN member Diana Braghis PO ’26 and the leadership team have learned to provide more guidance, aware that most students are going through this process for the first time.

“We kept asking: do you have questions, how can we help you, do you need any explanations?” Braghis said. “We walked them through how to do Model UN.”
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Words by Bianca Mirica | Photo courtesy of SageMUN
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

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This fall, the Pomona College Model United Nations team (PCMUN) revamped its annual conference, SageMUN, pivoting from focusing on college students to working with high schoolers. Director General Gabriel Dalton PO ‘26 described the impact this shift had on the conference. “Because we’re a smaller conference, we’ve kind of positioned ourselves to be a little more beginner-friendly,” Dalton said. “For a lot of kids, it’s actually the very first MUN conference.” As their conference has pivoted to target younger, less experienced MUNers, veteran PCMUN member Diana Braghis PO ’26 and the leadership team have learned to provide more guidance, aware that most students are going through this process for the first time. “We kept asking: do you have questions, how can we help you, do you need any explanations?” Braghis said. “We walked them through how to do Model UN.” — Words by Bianca Mirica | Photo courtesy of SageMUN Read the full story at the link in our bio.

3 weeks ago

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3/9

Meiya Rollins PO ’29 reflects on the exhibition, “Complications in Color,” at the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art. Sadness strikes as Rollins admires the work of Rachel Lachowicz, a Californian abstract artist who uses makeup to address femininity, as she reflects back on her art portfolio that followed a similar theme, to a specific art piece as a kid.
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Words by Meiya Rollins | Graphic by Meiya Rollins
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

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Meiya Rollins PO ’29 reflects on the exhibition, “Complications in Color,” at the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art. Sadness strikes as Rollins admires the work of Rachel Lachowicz, a Californian abstract artist who uses makeup to address femininity, as she reflects back on her art portfolio that followed a similar theme, to a specific art piece as a kid. — Words by Meiya Rollins | Graphic by Meiya Rollins Read the full story at the link in our bio.

3 weeks ago

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4/9

For columnist Sinan Walji PO ’28, J Dilla’s Donuts became a way of understanding how one melody can hold different histories at the same time. Walji traces his first encounter with the album at fourteen and follows the story of sampling from Dilla’s era to today.
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Words by Sinan Walji | Graphic by Nergis Alboshebah
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

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For columnist Sinan Walji PO ’28, J Dilla’s Donuts became a way of understanding how one melody can hold different histories at the same time. Walji traces his first encounter with the album at fourteen and follows the story of sampling from Dilla’s era to today. — Words by Sinan Walji | Graphic by Nergis Alboshebah Read the full story at the link in our bio.

3 weeks ago

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5/9

On Nov. 11, students gathered at the Coop Fountain for Acoustic Open Mic Night, an event co-hosted by 5C Pens & Poetry Club and the Pomona Student Union. Many students took to the stage to showcase their original music and poetry centered around their personal experiences and social issues.

While many students such as Pens & Poetry Vice President Pherell Washington PO ’29 were worried that their works wouldn’t be well received by the audience, they would later feel relieved upon seeing the crowd’s positive reception.

“I was kind of nervous because when you’re reading a poem, especially a poem with so much emotion, everyone may not agree with you,” Washington said. “[The crowd was] very nice. I kept getting people come up to me, like, ‘Hey, your poem was really great.’ And I was just like, ‘You know what? This is why we have this event: to have a space where people can share and open up.’”
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Words by Joseph Woo Chan and Kira Heller | Photo courtesy of the 5C Pens & Poetry club
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

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On Nov. 11, students gathered at the Coop Fountain for Acoustic Open Mic Night, an event co-hosted by 5C Pens & Poetry Club and the Pomona Student Union. Many students took to the stage to showcase their original music and poetry centered around their personal experiences and social issues. While many students such as Pens & Poetry Vice President Pherell Washington PO ’29 were worried that their works wouldn’t be well received by the audience, they would later feel relieved upon seeing the crowd’s positive reception. “I was kind of nervous because when you’re reading a poem, especially a poem with so much emotion, everyone may not agree with you,” Washington said. “[The crowd was] very nice. I kept getting people come up to me, like, ‘Hey, your poem was really great.’ And I was just like, ‘You know what? This is why we have this event: to have a space where people can share and open up.’” — Words by Joseph Woo Chan and Kira Heller | Photo courtesy of the 5C Pens & Poetry club Read the full story at the link in our bio.

3 weeks ago

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6/9

Pitzer College’s screening of I Have a Name, Adam Bronfman’s documentary about photographer Jon Linton’s work with unhoused communities, sparked deep reflection during family weekend. Attendees considered not just the power of storytelling, but also who gets to tell those stories and how advocacy lands in a place of privilege.

“At the panel there were two white men,” Miriam Savage, a professor of Psychology and Expressive Therapy at the California Institute of Integral Studies said. “It’s not about racism so much, but about representation, and so we have to be careful about white saviorism. We have to be careful about who we are in the story.”

As students and families filed out of the George C.S. Benson Auditorium, questions lingered about activism, authorship, and the ethical boundaries of using art to galvanize action on inequality.
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Words by Olive Eng | Photo Courtesy of Pitzer College
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

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Pitzer College’s screening of I Have a Name, Adam Bronfman’s documentary about photographer Jon Linton’s work with unhoused communities, sparked deep reflection during family weekend. Attendees considered not just the power of storytelling, but also who gets to tell those stories and how advocacy lands in a place of privilege. “At the panel there were two white men,” Miriam Savage, a professor of Psychology and Expressive Therapy at the California Institute of Integral Studies said. “It’s not about racism so much, but about representation, and so we have to be careful about white saviorism. We have to be careful about who we are in the story.” As students and families filed out of the George C.S. Benson Auditorium, questions lingered about activism, authorship, and the ethical boundaries of using art to galvanize action on inequality. — Words by Olive Eng | Photo Courtesy of Pitzer College Read the full story at the link in our bio.

3 weeks ago

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7/9

Moving to the United States for college, Rochelle Lu SC ’28 once believed she carried a “suitcase full of nuance.” In her latest column, she reflects on her political and cultural blind spots, uncovering what happens when perspective meets its limits.

Still, Lu describes ignorance as an opening toward care and listening across identities and borders.

“Being politically and culturally aware is about having the humility to sit in the quiet,” she writes, “and to expand the borders of what you know slowly, thoughtfully.”
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Words by Rochelle Lu | Graphic by Shixiao Yu
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

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Moving to the United States for college, Rochelle Lu SC ’28 once believed she carried a “suitcase full of nuance.” In her latest column, she reflects on her political and cultural blind spots, uncovering what happens when perspective meets its limits. Still, Lu describes ignorance as an opening toward care and listening across identities and borders. “Being politically and culturally aware is about having the humility to sit in the quiet,” she writes, “and to expand the borders of what you know slowly, thoughtfully.” — Words by Rochelle Lu | Graphic by Shixiao Yu Read the full story at the link in our bio.

3 weeks ago

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8/9

TSL has recently had serious charges leveled against them. In a scathing letter to the editor, they were called jealous, biased and irrelevant, and on the surface, accusations seemed fair. In TSL’s coverage of the Claremont Independent (CI), critics noted that they appeared to hold a view that the CI’s conservative viewpoints were enabled by outside politics. Journalism is no stranger to ideological coverage, but did TSL go too far?

However, Parker DeVore PZ ‘27 notes that a condemnation of legible institutional perspectives, is only arguable if we understand news to be apolitical. Yet this view is incompatible with the humanity of journalism, and presented by a critic who is helplessly opinionated themselves.

“TSL’s mission is to ‘provide unbiased, factual reporting and a platform for students, faculty and staff to engage in,’” writes DeVore. “However, simultaneously TSL says it ‘serves as a forum for discussion that showcases the wide array of opinions.’ Impartiality and so called straight news is not TSL’s bread and butter, nor is it the CI’s. Instead, both outlets, and news outlets in general seek to emphasize pluralism in their own distinct ways.”
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Words by Parker DeVore | Graphic by: Nergis Alboshebah
Read the full story at the link in our bio.

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TSL has recently had serious charges leveled against them. In a scathing letter to the editor, they were called jealous, biased and irrelevant, and on the surface, accusations seemed fair. In TSL’s coverage of the Claremont Independent (CI), critics noted that they appeared to hold a view that the CI’s conservative viewpoints were enabled by outside politics. Journalism is no stranger to ideological coverage, but did TSL go too far? However, Parker DeVore PZ ‘27 notes that a condemnation of legible institutional perspectives, is only arguable if we understand news to be apolitical. Yet this view is incompatible with the humanity of journalism, and presented by a critic who is helplessly opinionated themselves. “TSL’s mission is to ‘provide unbiased, factual reporting and a platform for students, faculty and staff to engage in,’” writes DeVore. “However, simultaneously TSL says it ‘serves as a forum for discussion that showcases the wide array of opinions.’ Impartiality and so called straight news is not TSL’s bread and butter, nor is it the CI’s. Instead, both outlets, and news outlets in general seek to emphasize pluralism in their own distinct ways.” – Words by Parker DeVore | Graphic by: Nergis Alboshebah Read the full story at the link in our bio.

3 weeks ago

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9/9

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