Name: Auramaxxing.
Age: The word “aura” comes from Latin and ancient Greek and originally meant a gentle breeze. These days it’s more commonly used about a subtle pervasive quality emanating from someone. That’s what we’re talking about here.
And auramaxxing? It’s new. Like looksmaxxing, only …
Wait, what’s looksmaxxing? Maximising your physical attractiveness, by working out, say, or mewing …
Like a cat, miaowing? It actually means pushing your tongue up in your mouth to improve your jaw and facial structure.
What if I get lockjaw? Too bad, it’ll be worth it. Anyway, auramaxxing is the same kind of idea, only it’s about improving your energy and overall presence.
And where is this auramaxxing taking place? TikTok mostly, though other platforms are available.
And how do I go about it? You could take some lessons from Frankie Meki, an 18-year-old Canadian content creator who is sharing his own aura-upgrade with his 250,000 followers.
Make that 250,001. Frankie’s first rule is: do not try to copy someone else’s aura. It’s got to come from within and be authentic.
[Takes notes: writes “within” and “authentic”] Second rule: eliminate the yapping.
No barking? Not too much talking!
[Zips mouth closed] Next up: you need to find your PURPOSE.
[Trying to talk with mouth closed] That has to be in capitals? Correct. Also, people with aura have great achievements in some shape, form or fashion.
Hmm, that one might be tricky. I think my aura score might have just crashed. Interesting you should say aura score. On TikTok that is actually happening: users are awarding aura points to others, and sometimes deducting them.
How does the scoring work? Well, you might get points for doing something impressive, such as having other friends with aura, and lose points …
By yapping? Possibly. But then Susanna Merrick says there is no one premium aura level.
Who’s Susanna Merrick? A New York-based aura stylist. “People don’t need to be told who they are,” she told the Cut. “They need to discover who they are.”
I think I need to be told. Is auramaxxing mainly a guy thing? Meki says his audience is mainly young men. But, according to the Cut, young women are also part of the auramaxxing conversation, though the content is different.
Different how? Less about trying to exude presence, more about asking how many aura points they will lose as a result of how they behaved during difficult experiences such as bullying or grief.
Do say: “Or you could just not worry about how much aura you have or how others see you and just be yourself.”
Don’t say: “You’ve either got it, or you haven’t got it. And if you try hard to get it, you definitely haven’t got it. Bro.”