Recently, at the wedding of a close friend, I overheard her say something intriguing to the groom during their post-ceremony photo session. “Tongue up, buttercup,” she whispered right before the cameras flashed. “These photos are forever.”
Later, I asked her what she meant. “Oh, I learned this trick from a photographer ages ago,” she laughed. “If you feel like you have a sagging chin, you just need to strengthen your tongue against the roof of your mouth. It makes a huge difference in a profile shot, so during the wedding—when so many photos were going to be of us looking at each other—I would remind us both to do it.”
If you’ve been on social media lately, you’ve probably come across how-tos and tutorials showcasing this same trick. Officially known as “mewing”, the term has racked up nearly 10 billion views on Tiktok alone. Proponents claim it’s the secret to achieving a snatched jawline without injections, lasers, or surgery. And, they say that with regular practice, mewing can even transform your profile from saggy to svelte—not just for selfies, but forever.
Admittedly, the before-and-afters are impressive. But can mewing really change the shape of your jaw long-term? And, most importantly, is the practice even safe? Here’s what the experts say.
Mew beginnings
Despite its recent popularity amidst influencers, mewing isn’t really new—as my friend mentioned, photographers have long been recommending the technique to self-conscious subjects, and there’s no doubt that actresses have been touching their tongues to the roofs of their mouths on the red carpet long before many of today’s content creators were born. In fact, the practice of mewing can be actually traced back half a century.
“The term is named after the British orthodontist John Mew,” explains Dr. Peter Lee of Wave Plastic Surgery. “Mew popularized this technique in the 1970s as part of his larger heterodox orthodontic practice, which he called orthotropics; it was designed to gradually alter the shape of the face and jaw using a system of orthodontic appliances and facial exercises.”
Dr. Mew—who is still alive, by the way—believes that in recent history, human jaws have become weak. “The idea is that a diet replete with soft foods and an increased tendency of mouth breathing due to chronic inflammation in our sinuses has led the jaws of humans to shrink over generations,” explains Lee.