'Looksmaxxing' influencer Clavicular charged with rape in Massachusetts

By Nate Raymond

BOSTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The social media "looksmaxxing" influencer known as Clavicular has been charged with raping a 17-year-old girl who told police she became intoxicated at his family's home on Massachusetts' Cape Cod after he invited her to join him on live stream videos.

Braden Peters, 20, was charged with rape, drugging a person for sexual intercourse, and procuring alcohol for someone under 21, according to a criminal complaint issued on September 8. He is slated to be arraigned in a state court in Orleans, Massachusetts on October 14.

His spokesperson Mitchell Jackson said the accuser had previously filed a lawsuit against Peters. He said the accuser and her attorney went to the police after Peters moved to dismiss the case and "refused to pay money."

"Looksmaxxing" is an online subculture focused on maximizing people's physical attractiveness. Peters has become a face of the trend, garnering a large following on social media platforms like TikTok and becoming known for endorsing a practice of breaking facial bones with a hammer to have them grow back stronger, which medical experts advise against.

According to court documents, Peters' accuser went to the police in Chatham to report him on June 4.

She told police the two had initially messaged each other on Instagram and he later paid her to be in “looksmaxxing” videos he produced.

The accuser, whose name was redacted from the charging documents, said that after about a week of talking, Peters ordered her an Uber to his family's residence in Chatham on May 23, 2025.

According to the police report, the accuser said Peters was aware she was 17 but told her to lie on a live stream he was recording on the platform Twitch and say she was 18 and that vodka he gave her was water.

The girl told police she became increasingly intoxicated. In a clip from Peters’ livestream that police reviewed, the girl at one point said, "wait I’m so drunk" before the two kissed, according to the police report.

She said she later fell asleep in Peters' bed and the next morning woke up to him "having sex with me" without consent.