Teen Boys Are Chewing ‘Facial-Fitness Gum’ to Get Chiseled Jaws: ‘They Want to Look like Models’

Similar to “mewing” and “looksmaxxing,” jaw-defining gum is the latest trend among teenage boys who want to create a more maculine look

A bizarre new trend is spreading among teenage boys, and it involves chewing tough strips of gum in hopes of achieving a more masculine appearance.

In an article published by The Cut on Wednesday, June 12, the outlet reported on several gum brands that are trying to sell adolescent boys on the idea that they can make their jaws look more defined.

UK-based Rockjaw claims on its website to work by “creating a robust jawline workout, effortlessly.” It also claims to be “the first mastic-based jawline gum on the market” and “chewed by the world’s top athletes & CEOs.”

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The gum is related to a more general trend called “looksmaxxing,” which basically means to maximize one’s look. In March, BBC called it an “extreme cosmetic social media trend.”

The Cut asked 14-year-old Charlotte, N.C., resident Henry Dixon about these trends.

“Most kids my age want a sharp, defined jawline because of promotion of looksmaxxing on TikTok,” Dixon told The Cut. “People want these jawlines because they want to look like models and potentially more attractive.”

“I personally don’t care much about that stuff,” he added.

But plenty of kids do.

“My 12-year-old asked me for it and I was like, ‘What are you even talking about?’ ” board-certified dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla, M.D. said, per The Cut.

Mariwalla referenced the trend while speaking at a recent Allergan Aesthetics panel that discussed social-media ethics in aesthetic medicine.

“[My son] told me he heard it would do the same thing as ‘mewing,’ ” the dermatologist continued.

Mewing is another way teens are trying to create a more sculpted jawline. It involves “keeping your tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth to help change the shape of your jawline,” per Health.com. However, there’s little evidence that it works.

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“As a mom, it made me wonder why he was so obsessed with his jawline at age 12, and what social media was feeding him,” Mariwalla said. 

Before concluding the deep dive, the outlet consulted with celebrity cosmetic dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank, M.D., who seemed skeptical of the so-called jawline-defining gums.

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He also said teens should consider waiting for age to kick in for more manly features.

“Younger people tend to have more natural fat volume in their face,” Frank said. “For men that are thin and fit, as they age into their 20s and 30s they will naturally, likely, see more definition.”

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