Streaming platform Twitch has updated its community guidelines to permit participation in viral 'mogging' beauty contests, following the rise of the Omoggle website. The move reverses a previous prohibition on using sites that connect streamers to strangers' video feeds, due to risks of harmful content.
Last week, 19-year-old Sammy Amz discovered the trend while browsing X and soon began competing in 'mog-offs' on Omoggle. The site uses facial recognition to measure features like canthal tilt and nose-to-face width ratio, assigning scores from 1 to 10. Winners 'dominate' losers in a contest of looks, known online as mogging.
Omoggle's ranking system is based on the PSL scale, originally derived from incel forums. It categorizes users from 'sub3' to 'chad', with a new 'molecule' tier at the bottom. Dr. Paul Marsden, a psychologist, dismisses the system as nonsense but notes it reflects a societal trend toward quantification.
Twitch initially warned streamers against using 'randomized video chat services' but later allowed them, encouraging caution. A spokesperson said the goal is to empower creators while protecting them from harm. Critics, including TikToker Thoka, have condemned the trend as degrading and unhealthy, urging people to 'touch grass.'
Despite concerns, many participants like Amz and Nicholas Graff see it as harmless entertainment or a positive push for self-improvement. The trend continues to grow among UK streamers, emulating its US origins.
