'Looksmaxxing' influencer Clavicular pleads not guilty to rape charge

Clavicular, a social media influencer who promotes the "looksmaxxing" trend of young men maximising their attractiveness, has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges including rape.

Key points

• The charges stem from an incident in 2025 when he is accused of assaulting a 17-year-old girl at his family's Massachusetts home.
• When the judge will decide if there is enough evidence for the case to move forward, his next hearing will be on 24 November.
• Clavicular has more than a million followers on TikTok and Instagram and has garnered media attention for extreme measures he has taken for "looksmaxxing".
• In Florida earlier this year, he was charged after filming himself shooting at what appeared to be a dead alligator.
• In March, he was arrested on suspicion of battery after authorities suspected him of instigating a fight between two women.

For context, the 20-year-old, whose real name is Braden Peters, was charged in September with felony rape, drugging an individual for sexual intercourse and procuring alcohol for someone under the age of 21.

In practice, the charges stem from an incident in 2025 when he is accused of assaulting a 17-year-old girl at his family's Massachusetts home.

Peters has denied the allegations and remarked the encounter was consensual. On Thursday, he was granted $10, 000 bail, ordered not to contact or post regarding his accuser, and to surrender his passport.

Notably, a woman informed police that on 23 May 2025, Peters ordered her an Uber to his family's house in Chatham where they were drinking alcohol while filming a livestream before he allegedly raped her, according to the BBC's US partner, CBS News.

For context, the police officer who took the report remarked he believed she was unable to consent due to her age and the level of intoxication she exhibited in the livestream, CBS noted.

He has admitted to using a hammer on his face and jawline and taking a number of steroids, injections, and other drugs to achieve bodily perfection. He additionally gives advice on appearing masculine and performs stunts to shock followers.

In Florida earlier this year, he was charged after filming himself shooting at what appeared to be a dead alligator. He pleaded no contest to unlawfully discharging a firearm in public.

In March, he was arrested on suspicion of battery after authorities suspected him of instigating a fight between two women. Authorities remarked in July that they did not intend to file charges.

While holding his dog which he additionally brought to court, after Thursday's hearing, Peters posted a photo of himself in the black suit and black tie he wore to court.

Taken together, the developments around ' Looksmaxxing' influencer Clavicular pleads not guilty to rape charge point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.