A controversial influencer known for promoting extreme body modification techniques has been arrested during a livestream, sparking fresh warnings from experts about a dangerous subculture taking social media by storm.
Just after midnight on Sunday in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane-based Ronan Androgenic was arrested by police despite being flanked by his own security.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Looksmaxxing influencer arrested during Brisbane livestream
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“The situation’s f***ed. Guys, the situation is f***ed,” he told viewers during the arrest.
The 25-year-old was taken into custody over an altercation that occurred in February, which was also caught on camera while he was livestreaming to his fans.
“I was arrested. This is serious business,” he said.
Androgenic has become a rising star among a generation increasingly obsessed with extreme beauty improvement known as “looksmaxxing”.
He provides methods for young men to alter their appearance, including so-called “bonesmashing” to reshape facial features, as well as promoting plastic surgery and peptides.
“It’s dangerous in as much as any kind of body modification is dangerous,” Yves Saint James Aquino of the University of Wollongong warned.
Condemned by health professionals, the subculture has links to the so-called “manosphere”, promoting toxic masculinity and misogyny.
“They feel that physical features are something that they can now control,” Aquino said.
Androgenic was fined for public nuisance and banned from Fortitude Valley’s nightlife precinct for 28 days.
7NEWS has attempted to contact the 25-year-old for comment.
