Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's new order to provide testosterone boosting for troops was met with instant scorn and mockery from a CNN panel — who referred to it as "looksmaxxing the military," a reference to a viral physical appearance trend among social media influencers.
Anchor Audie Cornish sighed with resignation as she tried to explain Hegseth's latest move to adjust the look of American armed forces.
"Anyone 30 years and older will be required to test, and those under 30, they can volunteer, and anyone diagnosed with a deficiency can voluntarily choose to receive treatment," said Cornish.
She noted that the Trump administration has long been advocating for this policy — but that experts have been warning of potential problems with it.
Cornish played a clip of an expert testifying that testosterone replacement "can actually affect deployability and eligibility for special duty status," and servicemembers who "work[ed] their entire careers" for that status could fear losing it if they are tested and treated for testosterone.
The panel then erupted into laughter when Cornish introduced former DIA official Harrison Mann and said "we needed to bring in more testosterone."
Mann stressed that anyone in the military needs to "consult their doctor" before trying to alter their testosterone levels.
"Pete Hegseth is not somebody who understands or cares about the health of the troops under his responsibility ... I got to remind the viewers, his last big medical announcement was canceling mandatory flu shots, a policy he had to reverse when a bunch of people at Air Force basic training got sick and one died," said Mann. "So I don't trust him for medical advice."
Mann then provided some context.
"Is it good to offer everybody in the military gender-affirming care who wants it? Absolutely," he said. "I don't think that privilege should only be reserved for Pete Hegseth's conception of his ideal man."
Cornish laughed again when she described the policy as existing on the intersection of "Lookmaxxing Boulevard and RFK Way."
She said, "There is a world that is obsessed with testosterone."