Yeah this is a good point, and the aggro look definitely started in the aftermarket. I find it amusing that some younger automotive youtubers (TSPs mainly, I find) use the term "aggressive" in place of the word "good" as a unequivocally positive attribute with regards to exterior styling. Like the subjective dichotomy is not "good or bad" its "aggressive or bad". I guess people are terrified of looking timid, and so every car needs to look exceptionally angry. I'm trying to remember the last time a new car released that looked happy or joyful. Even the mini cooper has kind of a grimace face now, particularly in S trim. If you put a front picture up of every mustang made between 1994 and 2023, each one would look progressively angrier, each with a more deeply furrowed brow (The 2005 redesign momentarily interrupted this, as at least the base model just looked kind of lost and spaced out, rather than angry) It's kind of ridiculous. Waiting for somebody to deliver us from this unnecessarily militant design language.
When I read "aggressive" I don't read it as "mean", I read it as "aggressively capable" or hardcore. An off-road truck should be aggressive - it should be strong, reinforced, steel, durable, etc. That's aggressive.
As for the aftermarket, and how OEMs are offering warrantied "aftermarket" options (a good idea in my opinion if you can afford it), the type of aftermarket modification I'm interested in, let's say for my Sequoia, would be something like this:
Compare that to this:
Obviously OEMs need to pass standards while also getting decent fuel mileage and emissions which chopped bodywork and chonky metal bits don't facilitate but Toyota isn't going aggressive enough and hasn't ever, really. The Bronco is a wonderful example, and the Chevy with all the options:
You can see how some features here mirror the aftermarket parts on that Sequoia. Extra bumper/tire clearance, tow hooks, exposed skid plates, the brush bar that can take a hit, winch provisions, rock sliders which the Sequoia doesn't actually have yet, and even those replaceable rash rings on the wheels. This thing is designed to take a beating. The Sequoia TRD Pro and most of what Toyota is offering are simply designed to
look aggressive, not actually
be aggressive. I'd expect Toyota's new Tree Hugger package or whatever it's called to be this aggressive, otherwise they're going to start losing sales.