Mewing is making a comeback on social media. This old technique to reshape your face without going through the scalpel box is a hit on social networks.
Why resort to the scalpel when simple rehabilitation exercises can strengthen your jaw and make your double chin disappear?
This is the principle of ‘mewing’, a technique that is far from new, but that social networks are bringing up to date today to enjoy a harmonious and perfectly structured face. Making new with old, the specialty of new social media!
Orthodontic method
Booming, cosmetic surgery and medicine seem to have a crowd of followers on social networks, with all the dangers that it may cause. But users are also fond of more natural techniques intended to transform their face and body without having to go through the scalpel box. And if grandmother’s recipes are most often popular, today it is an orthodontic method that is coming back to the fore.
The term ‘mewing’ translates to ‘meowing’, but it actually has absolutely no relation to the cry of our favorite felines. The name of this technique refers to the British orthodontist John Mew, who is said to have originated it, before his son Mike Mew popularized it on his YouTube channel. Orthotropics. The videos then multiply at breakneck speed on the video hosting platform, giving rise to a real enthusiasm for this method which was not, initially, intended to afford a real makeover.
From malocclusion to facial reshaping
Born in 1928, John Mew has been interested for years in the causes of malocclusion, which, according to his conclusions, would be the result of the evolution of our lifestyles, and not of genetics.
It is more particularly our taste for soft and cooked foods that would ultimately be responsible for a less sculpted and less toned jaw, gradually transforming the shape of the face and giving rise to many inconveniences. All linked – initially – to poor positioning of the tongue. The technique developed by the orthodontist in response to this phenomenon aimed to strengthen the functions of chewing and swallowing to strengthen the jaw, and realign the main areas of the face.
But on TikTok, it is for aesthetic purposes that users have brought this method up to date. It is now a question of obtaining a square jaw, getting rid of his double chin, or making his face more harmonious. And that’s without counting on those who see the ‘mewing’ as a cure – miracle – anti-aging. On this point, we are still looking for why… But it must be said that the ‘before/after’ publications posted by TikTokeurs are quite spectacular, showing real results in just a few months.
Several months before seeing the effects?
No need for cosmetic surgery for this. The ‘mewing’ consists of practicing re-education exercises of the placement of the tongue. It is more exactly a question of positioning the tongue against the palate, without touching the front teeth, and keeping – if possible – the mouth closed. The goal is to force breathing through the nose. The ideal is to perform this exercise during meals or while drinking water, at first, so that this position becomes automatic. It is enough to test to realize that the jaw is indeed solicited, but several months seem necessary to see the first results.
The technique has (re)become viral on social networks in recent months, accumulating to date more than 300 million views on the Chinese social network TikTok. Its variant #mewingtutorial already has more than 16 million, testifying to a certain enthusiasm for the method, and this in the four corners of the world. It remains to be seen whether it is (really) effective.