Tag Archives: beauty standards

-maxxing and -mogging joke

Text:

This folk joke is when someone adds the word “maxxing” to whatever adjective, action, noun, or verb to describe what another person is doing, and adds the word “mogging” to compare themselves to another. The punchline/joke can only be understood by fans of an online influencer named Clavicular, as for outsiders, the phrase simply sounds unnecessarily complex or nonsensical. For context, Clavicular is an influencer best known for looksmaxxing content, which is a term for an online trend where one goes through drastic changes in their daily routine to optimize their physical appearance; while it initially started off with the intention of increasing your self-confidence, the general connotation nowadays is negative, as many view the trend to be extreme and over fixated on physical experience. An example of this joke would be if I was to walking into my apartment and see my roommate studying, I could simply say, “Wow you’ve been studying all day – you’re so much more disciplined than me.” In contrast, a fan of Clavicular in this situation would say “Wow you’ve been studymaxxing all day – you’re lowkey disciplinemogging me”.

Context:

This informant is a 19 year old USC sophomore from Irvine, California, who studies environmental science. He also is my suitemate this year, and he told me a variation of this joke when he saw me scrolling on my phone, explaining that I was “scrollmaxxing and lazymogging him”. After explaining the joke to me, he told me that he saw this joke from an Instagram Reels video of Clavicular using this same joke, and says he loves using this joke on a daily basis.

Analysis:

This piece of internet folklore, which started from just a niche fanbase, demonstrates the huge effects folklore and internet transmission can have, particularly among gen-z, as we are the first generation that grew up with this technology and internet access. The specific words that make up this joke, maxxing and mogging, not only function as insider vocabulary that can help this folk group’s members identify each other, but the fixed structure of the joke creates room for all sorts of variation and creativity. To add, with short-form content platforms like IG Reels, TikTok, and Youtube Shorts with countless clips of Clavicular circling around, it only takes a couple of swipes for these clips to find their way to people’s algorithms, showing the limitless capacity of the internet in terms of transmission.

Finally, it’s important to note that just like the ridiculous nature of the joke, what makes such looksmaxxing content and influencers like Clavicular famous is the shear absurdity that makes it hard to turn away from what they are doing. These types of media over fixate on minute flaws within one’s appearance, and often recommends ridiciulous and dangerous methods like jaw-smashing (smashing one’s face with hard objects to reshape their jawline) that only fuels insecurities and unrealistic beauty standards for young, impressionable boys and girls. As a result, the absurdity of this folk joke can serve as a parody to its own folk idea it was created around, reminding both the audience and user of the joke just how ridiculous this concept of looksmaxxing is.

Kuchisake-Onna

Kuchisake-Onna

Text:

When you are walking on a street in Japan, you will likely encounter a woman who wears a white mask that covers her face, white clothes, and a white cap or hat. She is Kunchisae-Onna.
If you ever encounter her on the road, she will ask you,
“Am I beautiful?”

If you answer “Yes,” she will take off her mask, and you will see that there is a huge scar on her face.

After having you see the scar, she will ask you again,

“Am I beautiful?”

If you answer “Yes”—she will use a pair of scissors to cut you to death.

If you answer “No”—she will use a pair of scissors to cut you to death, too!


This story was so widespread that it once evoked a national fear in Japan. Press were even writing to the public in order to clear the air.

People also say that there are some ways to “counter” the deadly consequences when encountering Kuchisake-Onna. For example, you can answer “it’s okay”, “meh” or just not answer or say something nonsensical (like “tires” or “candy”), and she’ll let you off the hook.


Context:

The interviewee learned this folktale when listening to a Chinese podcast (name of the podcast: VG 聊天室). She uses this piece of folklore as a way to understand Japanese society. The interviewee thinks this legend reveals Japanese women’s social anxiety and anxiety about their appearance. She also thinks Kunchisae-Onna’s behavior represents her vanity.

Analysis:

  • The Scar and Cultural Anxiety: from a psychoanalytic perspective, the scar of Kunchisae-Onna represents a repressed cultural anxiety about beauty and fitting in Japanese societal beauty standards.
  • Female Rage: The fact that Kuchisake-Onna kills regardless of how you answer—whether you say “yes” or “no”—is a manifestation of female rage. Specifically, it is Kunchisae-Onna’s rage for the societal beauty standards and her impossibility of fitting in. The public’s fear of Kunchisae-Onna, and finding ways to “escape” the deadly consequences, is representative of the social fear of female rage. Kunchisae-Onna is not a monster, but she is portrayed as a monstrous, mad person and somebody to be cautious of—this speaks to the social fear of female rage.
  • National Anxiety: The fact that this legend spread nationally, widely enough, that it required press intervention itself speaks to how effectively the legend tapped into pre-existing, widely shared anxieties among Japanese individuals.

“For beauty, you must suffer.”

Leave a reply

Text:
When A was in high school and had pimples, her mother would pop them for her. Whenever A complained that it hurt, her mother would respond, “For beauty, you must suffer.”

Context:
The informant, A, recalls hearing this phrase frequently from her mother, especially during moments involving personal grooming that were physically uncomfortable, like popping pimples or plucking eyebrows. While A understood that her mother meant it lightheartedly, it also reflected a deeper, often unspoken expectation around beauty standards. A noted that this phrase extended beyond skincare. For example, her mother would say it when discussing the discomfort of wearing heels or shapewear like Spanx.

Analysis:
This phrase highlights how societal beauty standards, specifcally for women, are often tied to discomfort or even pain. The expectation is that beauty requires sacrifice, whether it’s enduring physical discomfort or investing significant time and effort. It reinforces the idea that beauty is an achievement rather than an inherent trait, one that must be worked for and maintained. The fact that the phrase was passed down from mother to daughter goes to show how these standards are often perpetuated within families, sometimes without conscious reflection. Ultimately, the saying reflects a broader cultural narrative about the price of fitting into conventional ideals of beauty.

Clothes Are Wings

Age: 24

Text:

“Clothes are wings.”

Context:

The informer tells me that this is a Korean proverb, and essentially means “Clothes make people better”. They’re not sure where they learned it from, but they assume it’s from their parents, or from watching k-dramas.

Analysis:

I thought it was very interesting that Korea would have a proverb about physical appearances and how it affects how people may perceive you. Korean society is very much one where one’s physical appearance absolutely determines how you are treated, where you are in the social hierarchy, and what people think your character and personality is like–this is all determined by how you look. It can become so extreme to the point where it may becomes toxic–one must always be skinny and slender, conventionally attractive, pale, chic, with impeccable fashion taste regardless of your socioeconomic status.

I feel like this emphasis on physical appearance has something to do with how homogenous Korea is, and its values on community rather than the individual. By having the mindset that “clothes make the man”, it creates a standard that everyone must strive to meet in order to not stand out and disrupt the flow of what is considered “normal”. This is a Confucian ideal(community over individual), which is a foundational aspect of Korean culture and social roles.

mother daughter proverb

fields:
AGE: mother and daughter current(50/23) when used (40/15)
Date_of_performance: 02/15/25
Language: English
Nationality: Canadian
Occupation: Artist/ retail worker
Primary Language: English
Residence: Toronto, canada

Quote: “For beauty you must suffer”

A folk phrase used by mothers to their daughters when teaching them the grooming rituals of a grown woman. from shaving, to waxing, to tight heels, or spanks its a way to acknowledge the effort one must put in to meet the beauty standard.

This phrase is was used by my mother and her mother before her, they were british woman so i don’t doubt that this is a folk phrase that can be traced back to the creation of the corset.

the folk that use this are woman and sister or motherly circles.