Along with defined abs, broad shoulders and bulging biceps, a new body part has emerged on social media as the latest area to focus on – or, indeed, feel insecure about – with teenagers and gym buffs as the target audience.
Facial fitness gum is the newest fad to go viral on social media, the chewing of which claims to give users a chiselled and more defined jawline, as well as tighten muscles in the neck and face.
Among the burgeoning number of brands, Rockjaw, Stronger Gum, Jawz and Jawliner are some that are heavily promoted in TikTok videos, all hosted by men with chiselled jawlines.
The Jawz Instagram contains refences to “define your jawline” and “slim and tone your face”, while Strong Gum offers “hard chewing gum for a stronger jawline”, declaring the jaw as one of “our most attractive muscles”. The RockJaw website, meanwhile, states it “is the first mastic-based gum on the market, revolutionising the way you enhance your jawline”.
So, can chewing facial fitness gum really sculpt a cut-glass jawline?
What is facial fitness gum?
Hard and putty-like, facial fitness gum is designed to be very hard to chew in order to create a workout for face, jaw and neck muscles.
Chewing gum is detrimental to teeth and jaws, while sweetened gum causes the wearing away of tooth enamel
Dr Abhijesh Chandran,
general dentist, Aster Cedars Hospital and Clinic, Jebel Ali
Promoters claim it achieves better results than “mewing”, another facial fitness fad involving a technique for flattening the tongue against the roof of your mouth to change the shape of your jaw.
“The idea that chewing gum can create a chiselled jawline lacks authentic research supporting its credibility,” says Dr Abhijesh Chandran, general dentist, Aster Cedars Hospital and Clinic, Jebel Ali. “Chewing gum is detrimental to both the teeth and jaws, while sweetened chewing gum and constant chewing causes the wearing away of tooth enamel. While moderate chewing is acceptable, regular chewing on hard gum can lead to bite changes, temporomandibular joint disorders and the like.”
Targeting masseter muscles
“Can you go from this to this without plastic surgery?” asks a TikTok video for JawLiner US, featuring apparent before-and-after images of a young man. “Yes, you can. All you need to do is to train the strongest muscle in your body, also known as masseter muscles.”
The importance of moving and exercising the masseter muscles as a way of cultivating a chiselled jawline is widely promoted in the tens of thousands of videos dedicated to the trend.
“The masseter muscle aids in the closure of the lower jaw and helps in chewing and clenching,” says Dr Anurag Singh, specialist oral and maxillofacial surgeon, RAK Hospital, Ras Al Khaimah. “However, overusing thus muscle typically results in hypertrophy, which causes the muscle to look bulky. In slimmer individuals, this becomes more prominent compared to individuals who have chubby faces.”
He adds: “Overusage also results in overloading the temporomandibular joint and can result in TMJ pain and disorder.”
So can chewing hard gum chisel the jaw?
In a word, no. Experts agree that of the handful of ways to sculpt the appearance of a chiselled jawline, such as surgery and weight loss, chewing gum is not a proven solution.
“The look of a chiselled jawline is dependent on various anatomical factors such as skin laxity, fat underneath the skin, tone of the platysma [outer neck] muscle and the bony structure of the jaw itself,” explains Dr Suhas S, consultant plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, Aster Hospital, Mankhool & Aster Day Surgery Centre.
“Surgery is the only effective way. From minimally invasive procedures like double chin liposuction and buccal fat removal, to surgical procedures like chin implants, mandible angle implants and face or neck lifts can be done depending on the patient’s condition to improve the appearance of the jawline.”
Singh adds: “Non-surgical methods are face lifts using threads, fillers and Botox.”
The dark side of the trend
The prevalence of facial fitness gums on social media evolved from the “looksmaxxing” trend – Gen Z’s buzzword for “making yourself more attractive” – which itself originated on incel websites and chat rooms.
Adherents of the trend are called “looksmaxxers” and are usually teenagers and young men who seek out social media influencers and videos that promise hacks and ways to make themselves appear more attractive.
Hacks to enhance looks run from simple grooming techniques, such as using moisturiser, shaving and taking care of personal hygiene – called “softmaxxing” – to undergoing and promoting cosmetic surgery, or “hardmaxxing”. One of the major surgeries promoted is to create a chiselled jaw.
As far as achieving this through chewing a hard gum, Dr Suhas reiterates: “There will be absolutely no effect from chewing gum for any length of time. It’s a myth.”
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Tips from the expert
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Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
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Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
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Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
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Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
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- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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match info
Southampton 0
Arsenal 2 (Nketiah 20', Willock 87')
Red card: Jack Stephens (Southampton)
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