MEWING: CAN THE TIKTOK TREND GIVE YOU THE JAWLINE OF A MODEL?

Its supporters claim a simple tongue exercise can not only reshape your jaw and help you sleep, but can even improve your teeth. Here's what the experts say...

- IAN TAYLOR

Lose your double chin! Straighten your teeth! Get a jawline so well-defined you could open a bottle of beer on it! These are just a few of the supposed benefits of 'mewing', an odd but popular practice of DIY facial reconstruction - no cosmetic surgery required.

Originally conceived by a controversial orthodontist, the technique has become a viral beauty trend on social media platforms.

Mewing tutorials on TikTok, popularised by the supermodel Bella Hadid, have millions of views and hundreds of thousands of likes, bolstered by intriguing before-and-after photos.

Tempted? We think you look lovely just the way you are. But just in case, we looked for evidence that mewing actually works... and not just on TikTok.

BBC

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WHAT IS MEWING?

It's the process of shoving your tongue to the roof of your mouth and leaving it there in the hope that it'll affect the 'chiselledness' of your jawline. Proponents believe that if you keep your tongue raised for prolonged periods, it can reshape and restructure your jaw. And not only that: mewers believe it could also help reduce jaw pain and sleep apnea, help with snoring and treat occlusions or overlapping teeth.

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?