This post was updated Nov. 5 at 3:35 a.m.
Terrifying men are multiplying.
Politicians amass sexual assault allegations at staggering speeds while influencers reinforce the manosphere – an echo chamber of online content championing hypermasculinity – daily.
And most recently, UCLA remained silent when an alleged rapist descended upon campus.
Clavicular, a social media influencer who was charged with rape in September 2026, visited UCLA on Oct. 10 to promote “looksmaxxing,” the popular subculture that promotes maximizing physical appearance through methods such as weight-loss stimulants and facial surgeries. Clavicular, whose name is Braden Peters, amassed a group of about 40 people to parade through campus with offensive signs – including one reading “tax the fat.”
[Related: Clavicular, influencer facing rape charge, promotes ‘looksmaxxing’ at UCLA protest]
UCLA did nothing to quell Peters’ procession, aside from sending two public safety aides to monitor the group.
In a world where dangerous men are rarely forced to confront the consequences of their actions, the university should not have allowed Clavicular to protest on its grounds.
Colette Rich, a second-year astrophysics student who witnessed the protest, said she would have been terrified by the group, had she been alone.
“No girl I know wants to be bulldozed by a big group of steroid-pumped men who are chanting and trying to rattle each other up,” she said.
Rich added that her discomfort intensified when she spoke with Hexumlite, an online creator who churns out “looksmaxxing” content.
When Hexumlite peeled off from the group to introduce himself, Rich said she attempted a genuine conversation.
Instead, Rich was ambushed by blatant misogyny. Shortly after beginning the interaction, Hexumlite said he could not hold a conversation with her due to the size of her breasts, Rich said.
“He felt the need to tell me that he was so socially incapable of conversation that my boobs existing made it that he couldn’t focus on a single thing I was saying,” she added.
Although Rich said she laughed the interaction off, her episode with Hexumlite reveals an uncomfortable truth: Manosphere influencers such as Clavicular and Hexumlite reduce women to their physical assets. By allowing careless men to parade around campus, UCLA is perpetuating the objectification of young women.
Given how dangerous Clavicular’s messaging is, the university should have acted more stringently to curtail the influencer’s on-campus presence, said Iris Watson, a second-year economics and public affairs student who was with Rich when the incident occurred.
In addition to spewing verbal obscenities, Clavicular’s horde also infringed upon the Bruins’ physical safety by trekking to a residential area of UCLA’s campus – the Hill.
Vidya Kasichainula, a third-year economics student and resident assistant in Sproul Hall, said she recalls hearing screaming, yelling and banging as the protest – which perpetuated inflammatory messaging against obese people – marched through the Hill. She added that the Hill, a space where nearly all first-year students live, is meant to be a safe and inclusive environment, and Clavicular’s protest detracted from that.
“These are people who have just come to UCLA,” Kasichainula added. “The fact that this is happening in the Hill – how does that affect them feeling welcome and safe?”
UCLA’s laissez-faire attitude toward Clavicular’s campus cameo stands in stark contrast to its harsh regulation of other student protests. For instance, around a dozen UCPD officers were sent to monitor a walkout against sexual violence just days before Clavicular’s demonstration. The university is also notorious for suppressing protests spearheaded by pro-Palestine demonstrators.
“It makes me feel like the university cares less about its students – and protecting its students – and more about protecting its own reputation,” said Watson.
UCLA’s options are clear: enable violent men to perpetuate systemic harm toward young women or preserve student safety by restricting misogynistic campus demonstrators. For the sake of all its students, the university must choose wisely.
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