A video of an Australian 'looksmaxxing' influencer being arrested on livestream has gone viral. In clips shared online, the social media star, known online as Androgenic, was approached by around six police officers in Brisbane late on Sunday evening and taken into custody.
A policeman is seen telling the TikTok sensation, 25: 'I just need to have a word with you about an incident that happened on the 27th of February. Based on that, I'm going to place you under arrest for public nuisance.'
Androgenic, whose real name is Ronan but whose last name is shrouded in secrecy, was then taken away by police. His personal security guards asked that Androgenic be taken peacefully and without handcuffs, and the officers on scene appeared to comply with that request.
Later in the footage, a friend behind the camera films Androgenic being patted down by police. 'So Androgenic's being questioned for something. Don't know the situation,' the person says.
Police are believed to have questioned Androgenic over footage that appeared to show him pushing a woman to the ground during a brawl outside a Hungry Jacks. That clip, which then showed the streamer being punched and falling down, also went viral.
Queensland Police later confirmed that they have made an arrest and excluded the arrested party from the Brisbane party precinct. 'A 25-year-old St Lucia man was subsequently issued with an infringement notice for public nuisance,' the statement said. 'He was also served with a banning notice from the safe night precinct of Fortitude Valley and Brisbane City for one month.'
Earlier this year, a video of the influencer getting his wig stolen during a livestream in a Brisbane street mall reached tens of millions of viewers on X. Androgenic was on camera in Fortitude Valley when a young man snatched his cap to reveal the social media star's balding head. He quickly pounced on the culprit and retrieved his cap, which had a long-haired wig sewn into it.
During the livestream shared on the Kick platform, Androgenic can be heard saying, 'I've just had a hair transplant bro,' and adding: 'That's gonna go as viral as f***'. The influencer's prediction turned out to be spot on, with the cringeworthy clip reportedly viewed by tens of millions on X.
Appearing in the clip at first in his wig and cap, Androgenic can be seen pulling off his hat and saying: 'I've been going extremely viral for having my wig snatched off.' After mentioning how widely spread his clip has been shared, he continued: 'I don't think people realise that I have been publicly spamming about [being bald] for like two months. And I've literally, publicly made videos showing that I'm wearing a wig, like days ago.' He added: 'I'm really glad this is going viral, no aura has been lost, I can tell you.'
The viral trend known as 'looksmaxxing' involves a spectrum of 'self-improvement' measures - some as extreme as plastic surgery. There's also 'softmaxxing', which urges boys to undertake expensive 12-step skincare routines. Additionally, there is 'starvemaxxing', which is about cutting food consumption, losing fat and thereby accentuating musculature or facial bone structure. 'Mewing' is a technique said to reshape the jawline by repositioning the tongue against the roof of the mouth (but which remains entirely unproven). Astonishingly, even dangerous DIY methods such as 'bone-smashing' – breaking bones in the belief this will improve facial structure – are advocated online. The term looksmaxxing was coined on obscure websites in 2014 and started with incel culture – a group of 'involuntarily celibate' men who blame women for denying them relationships. Androgenic has an online following where he offers advice about men's looks.
