What Is Mewing? The Looksmaxxing Buzzword Explained

The recent looksmaxxing fad that has dawned upon the internet has been cooking up a storm. While most consider it a big joke, some people have taken it upon themselves to become "Looksmaxxing" gurus, spreading their gospel about the latest and greatest tips to look better.

You've probably seen a variety of buzzwords thrown around the internet in the past few months, like Canthal Tilt, A10 Hunter Eyes, and other 'Lookism' buzzwords, but one word that has taken up a whole new meaning is "Mewing". So what does mewing mean? And how is this word used in meme culture? Here's everything you need to know.

What Is Looksmaxxing?

Looksmaxxing is a slang term that uses the -maxxing suffix and refers to a lookism trend that involves maximizing one's physical appearance. It originates in incel and male subcultures and was predominant on Reddit and 4chan from the 2010s to early 2020s.

Going into the 2020s, Looksmaxxing became much more mainstream, early iterations of the trend appeared on TikTok, usually with memes that reference things like 'positive canthal tilt,' A10 hunter eyes, and mewing. Many looksmaxxing memes usually involved videos of male model Jordan Barrett, with the song 'ecstacy' by SUICIDAL-IDOL (example shown below).

What Is Mewing?

Mewing refers to a tongue exercise that some 'experts' have claimed to help improve your jawline. It is one of many slang terms that have grown in popularity with the introduction of the looksmaxxing trend. The term itself was coined by the British orthodontist Mike Mew. In 2011, he posted a video titled "What Is Orthotropics" on YouTube (shown below) with an overview of his treatments.

Over the years, more and more publications posted their takes on the Mewing trend and its claimed benefits. In October 2014, users on the RedPillTalk forums asked if anyone saw improvements from using Mike Mew's techniques as an adult. Over the decade, more and more YouTubers would post their videos on how the exercise would drastically change their facial bone structure.

How Is Mewing Used In Memes?

Besides being a prominent term used in the viral Looksmaxxing trend, there have been several memes on the exercise blowing up lately, particularly on TikTok. One particular trend is the Bye Bye Mewing, which involves making a "Shh" face and then pointing to their jawline to represent mogging the viewer with mewing (example shown below).

The trend usually features Lumi Athena's "ICEWHORE!" which is a slowed phonk song that became a viral sound on TikTok after being used in various looksmaxxing memes. Going into 2024, the meme is still going strong, with the song becoming popular on other social media websites, such as Instagram. Another example includes a meme posted by @aurachadfr on Reels, which showed male users mogging on Instagram's notes feature (shown below).

For the full history of mewing, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.