The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word POUTY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
O
U
T
Y
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "trying to look sexy" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case trying to look sexy = pouty.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does POUTY mean?
POUTY adjective- Tending to pout; angry in a childish or cute way; showing mock anger.