Teen Boys Are Chewing ‘Facial-Fitness Gum’ to Get Chiseled Jaws

A new trend is spreading among teenage boys, and it involves chewing tough strips of gum in hopes of achieving a more masculine appearance. 

In an article published by The Cut on Wednesday, June 12, the outlet did a deep dive into several gum brands that are helping to sell adolescent boys dreams of having a defined “jawline.”

UK-based Rockjaw claims on its website that it was “the first to do it.”

The gum was established in 2020 and “is the first mastic-based jawline gum on the market,” the company touts. It promises that its product is up to 14 times stronger than other brands — which aids in “creating a robust jawline workout, effortlessly.” 

Additionally, Rockjaw claims its gum is “chewed by the world’s top athletes & CEOs.”

Meanwhile, Jawz Gum’s site has much less information, but interested persons can fill out a subscription form for a free 10-pack of “jaw defining gum.”

While neither brand specifically markets to teens, school-aged children are paying attention.

“My 12-year-old asked me for it and I was like, ‘What are you even talking about?’ ” board-certified dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla, M.D. said, per The Cut. 

Mariwalla referenced the trend while speaking at a recent Allergan Aesthetics panel that discussed social-media ethics in aesthetic medicine.

“He told me he heard it would do the same thing as mewing,” the dermatologist continued. 

Mewing is another trend that involves “keeping your tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth to help change the shape of your jawline,” per Health.com. However, there’s not much evidence to suggest that it actually works. 

“As a mom, it made me wonder why he was so obsessed with his jawline at age 12, and what social media was feeding him,” Mariwalla said. 

The Cut also spoke to 14-year-old Charlotte, N.C., resident Henry Dixon about a similar trend called looksmaxxing, which has become popular amongst teens on social media.

“Looksmaxxing,” in simple terms, is maximizing one’s look. In March, BBC called it an “extreme cosmetic social media trend.”

“Most kids my age want a sharp, defined jawline because of promotion of looksmaxxing on TikTok,” Dixon told The Cut. “People want these jawlines because they want to look like models and potentially more attractive.”

“I personally don’t care much about that stuff,” he added. 

Before concluding the deep dive, the outlet consulted with celebrity cosmetic dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank, M.D., who seemed skeptical of the so-called jawline-defining gums.

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He also said teens should consider waiting for age to kick in for more manly features.

“Younger people tend to have more natural fat volume in their face,” Frank said. “For men that are thin and fit, as they age into their 20s and 30s they will naturally, likely, see more definition.”