Boys adopt mewing trend in Finland to achieve masculine jawline through unique exercise

Young boys are now striving for a masculine jawline through a unique exercise, communicating this effort with a mysterious hand gesture. They trace their fingertip along the jawline and eventually bring it to their lips, signaling that they can’t speak at the moment because they are practicing “mewing.”

Mewing involves pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth while keeping lips closed. Proponents believe that consistent practice can lift the lower jaw and broaden the face at the level of the chewing muscles.

The trend, named after dentists John and Mike Mew, gained popularity on social media about five years ago and has since attracted numerous beauty and fitness influencers on platforms like TikTok, who promote it as a method for achieving a more masculine jaw.

In Finland, Google searches related to jawline and mewing surged significantly with the start of the school year in August. Tough chewing gum is being sold for jaw muscle workouts, with platforms like Alibaba and Temu offering silicone balls designed to be chewed between the front teeth. Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo has mentioned using a chew toy for jaw shaping.

25-year-old Tomas Palomäki from Helsinki has launched a specialized hard chewing gum, Stronger Gum, aimed at strengthening jaw muscles, advocating for thirty minutes of chewing five days a week. He claims even a slight increase in muscle size can enhance appearance, with noticeable changes occurring in two weeks.

However, most orthodontists do not endorse mewing, asserting that facial reshaping through this method is not feasible and may lead to pain or issues with jaw alignment. Continuous chewing of hard gum may also result in headaches and jaw pain, according to dental experts.