Clavicular, the 20-year-old controversial social media star born Braden Eric Peters, has made the headlines this week after he was rushed to the hospital due to a suspected overdose.
Peters is known for popularizing the term “looksmaxxing,” which is the theory that maximizing one’s physical appearance — often through aggressive methods and surgical intervention — will lead to success with women.
He is the first star from the online male “looksmaxxing” community, which holds male attractiveness as the key to overarching superiority. He gets his name from the clavicle (the collarbone), a highly prized feature within the online community.
Peters initially went viral on TikTok and Instagram through clips of him “mogging” other men — which means standing next to someone to make them look less attractive by comparison — and brutally rating other people’s appearances.
He now spends about eight hours per day livestreaming on the site Kick, where he receives more than 10,000 concurrent viewers.
As his online presence has grown, Peters has been associated with influencers from the far-right and the manosphere, a corner of the internet where misogynistic ideas are peddled by so-called men’s rights activists, incels, and pick-up artists. They typically believe that society is biased against men.
Earlier this year, Peters partied at a Miami nightclub with Nick Fuentes, a far-right commentator, and the manosphere influencer Andrew Tate, who is being reinvestigated for alleged rape and sexual assault offenses first reported in 2014 and 2015.
The New York Times reports that Peters was captured in videos shared online alongside Fuentes and Tate, in which the three men chanted along to the Ye track “Heil Hitler.”
Peters recently walked out of an interview with 60 Minutes Australia after he was questioned about his connection to Tate and his views on the Ye song.
The program’s host Adam Hegarty asked why he spends time with controversial figures like Tate, with Peters replying: “I see you want to make this political… You want to end [this interview] and talk about politics.”
He has said in previous interviews that he had “nothing to do with” the playing of Ye’s song.
Peters claims to have been “looksmaxxing” his appearance since the age of 14. In an interview with The New York Times published in February, he revealed that he had injected and ingested dozens of substances, including testosterone replacement therapy, to “ascend,” which is a looksmaxxing term for becoming more handsome.
Peters, from Hoboken, New Jersey, is the son of a businessman and a stay-at-home mom.
At school, Peters reportedly struggled with small talk, social cues and low self-esteem. He would spend time on Photoshop, readjusting his image to imagine what his face would look like after his desired surgeries.
While Peters has never been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, he frequently refers to himself as an “autist.” He calls his way of seeing the world a “gift.”
On 15 April, the streamer was rushed to the hospital in Miami over a suspected overdose, but was said to be in a “stable condition.”
Peters had been livestreaming on the site Kick on Tuesday (14 April) when the broadcast suddenly ended. Fans became concerned after video footage, appearing to show the influencer being carried into an ambulance by his security team, began circulating online.
Before the livestream ended, Peters could be seen telling a woman: “Holy s*** dude, I’m trying my best, but I’m f***ing destroyed right now.”
In the stream, his friend then asked if he wanted an “addy” — referring to the stimulant Adderall. The broadcast cut out shortly after that.
After arriving home from the hospital, Peters said on a post on X: “That was brutal. All of the substances are just a cope trying to feel neurotypical while being in public, but obviously that isn’t a real solution.”
“The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask,” he said, referencing two cuts on his face.
On March 26, Peters was taken into custody by Osceola County authorities and faces one count of battery. He was released after paying a bail bond of $1,000.
The arrest came a day before the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced in a statement that it had launched an investigation into a viral clip involving an alligator.
In a video posted in March, Peters was seen riding an airboat with three other people and opening fire on the floating reptile. It’s not clear if Clavicular’s arrest is related to the video.
Under Florida Statute 379.409, it is illegal to kill, injure, possess or capture an alligator unless an individual is authorized to do so. Attempting to kill or injure alligators is also strictly prohibited.
As the investigation continues, the FWC says it will provide information when it becomes “available.”
