who’s maxxing now? (13. 940)

Rising to the top of its shortlist of contenders, including affordability, data centres, odyssey and unc—a clipping from African American vernacular for uncle and transformed into the new pronouncement of “OK Boomer” or being out of touch—the term for optimisation of a pursuit and all its derivatives was selected as the Dictionary.com Word of the Year. Whilst not a new concept or coinage, Will Smith was “maxin’ and relaxin’” already as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the idea has been used since the 1940s for game theory, we’ve all seemingly been consigned to slang, willingly or not, that has its origins in the incel community, privileging appearance through looksmaxxing above all else, the affix mainstreamed in its versatility and applicability—speaking more to the drive to keep jonesing for the Jones’, having a certain etymological pedigree but up for infinite personalisation, more freedom from influencers is in on the horizon. Those lethalitymaxxers gooning for the Pentagon can be the first boots on the ground and possibly cause the buzzy trend to fizzle out so we are no longer held captive by it.