'Looksmaxxing' influencer Braden Peters faces rape charge in Massachusetts
Content creator Braden Peters, known as Clavicular, has been charged with rape, drugging and procuring alcohol for a minor in Massachusetts. Arraignment is set for Oct. 14.
'Looksmaxxing' creator Clavicular charged with rape and drugging in Massachusetts
Braden Peters, the 20-year-old content creator known online as Clavicular, has been charged with rape in Massachusetts, Global News Crime reports, citing Orleans District Court documents.
Peters faces three counts: one count of rape, one count of drugging a person for the purpose of sexual intercourse, and one count of procuring alcohol for a person under the age of 21. The charges were filed on Sept. 8 and relate to an alleged incident that took place on May 23, 2025.
Peters is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 14. If convicted on the rape charge, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
A history of legal trouble
The Massachusetts charges are not Peters' first encounter with the law. In March this year, he was arrested on a battery charge stemming from a February incident outside Orlando, Florida. Osceola County Sheriff's Office officials said Peters and a 24-year-old woman, Violet Marie Lentz, were accused of participating in the battery of a 19-year-old woman at a short-term rental property near Kissimmee. Detectives determined that Peters instigated the altercation and subsequently shared footage of it on social media.
In May, Peters pleaded no contest to misdemeanour charges of unlawfully discharging a firearm in a separate Florida incident. A viral video had appeared to show him and fellow content creator Andrew Morales — known online as "Cuban Tarzan" — shooting at an alligator in the Everglades.
In April last year, Peters was hospitalized following a suspected overdose that occurred while he was live streaming at a Miami mall alongside fellow streamer Androgenic.
Who is Clavicular?
Peters has built a substantial online following among young male viewers through his "looksmaxxing" videos and livestreams. He is known for employing extreme methods in pursuit of physical transformation, including striking himself in the face with a hammer in an effort to reshape his facial bones, and has publicly discussed using methamphetamine to suppress his appetite.
In a profile for the New York Times, Peters said he makes more than US$100,000 a month from the streaming platform Kick. He revealed he began taking testosterone shortly before his 15th birthday and soon after started ordering steroids, fat dissolvers and biodegradable sutures.
Peters drew wider media attention last year when he walked out of an Australian 60 Minutes interview after journalist Adam Hegarty asked whether he identified as an incel — a term referring to men who describe themselves as involuntarily celibate. "I mean, how could you ask me that question as a follow-up after you asked me about my relationships to women?" Peters said before leaving. "I mean, that's quite literally the worst sequence of questions I think I've ever heard."
When Hegarty reframed the question — noting that "looksmaxxing" originated in incel and manosphere online communities — Peters rejected any association with the group. "I'm not linked to that group in any way," he said. "Looksmaxxing is self-improvement, right? So it's about potentially even ascending out of that category."
What is 'looksmaxxing'?
The term "looksmaxxing" emerged from incel and manosphere subcultures in the 2010s. It is rooted in the idea that women select partners primarily based on physical attributes such as facial structure and height. The practice spans a broad spectrum: "softmaxxing" covers grooming, fitness and skincare, while "hardmaxxing" encompasses more extreme interventions such as "bone-smashing" — deliberately striking facial bones in hopes of altering their shape — and cosmetic surgery.
Source: Global News Crime