Mewing is a type of oral posture training (strengthen your jaw line) made to improve the jawline and the look of your face.[1] It was named after John and Mike Mew, British orthodontists who made the technique as a part of a practice they call "orthotropics".[2] Mewing is done by placing your tongue at the roof of the mouth (which is called the palate) and putting a bit of pressure there. Also, you should swallow the fluids in your mouth while mewing. This is done with the goal of changing the structure of the jaw.[3][4] However, no credible scientific research has ever proven how well orthotropics work.[2] Since 2019, mewing has had a lot of media coverage due to it becoming viral on social media,[5] especially with what is known as looksmaxxing.[2] Looksmaxxing is when someone tries to improve how they look. This is usually done by improving their habits.
While the technique has been known to have some positive effects,[1][6] many orthodontists say that mewing does not have enough evidence as a good alternative treatment to orthognathic surgery.[1] Mike Mew has been kicked out from the British Orthodontic Society,[2] and is currently facing a legal hearing for allegedly harming child patients who he treated.[7]
In media
Mewing has been used as an internet meme.[8] On social media platforms such as TikTok, people will point to their jaw to show that they are mewing in their videos.[source?] In reference of how Donald Trump in a 2023 mug shot looked, journalist Bindu Bansinath wrote "perhaps he's mewing for better definition."[9]
