Why young men are killing their sperm

The most ironic side effect of looksmaxxing.

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June 5, 2026 3:00pm EDT

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As an old tune goes, in the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man. For many men across generations, a few traditionally masculine characteristics were crucial to the project. And two of the most important were not fussing too much over your appearance, and fathering lots of children.

To put it lightly, both ideas have their share of problems. But something funny is happening to masculinity today: There’s a share of young men who are upending both notions. Across the world of “looksmaxxing,” Anna North writes in her fascinating new piece, a rising number of young men obsessed with looking their best are taking testosterone products to do it, and in the process, harming their ability to procreate at all. What’s important to these men is not being fruitful and multiplying; it’s looking better than other men, at all other costs — including to their sperm counts.

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—Seth Maxon, politics, policy, and ideas editor