“They Look Worse”: Plastic Surgeons Reveal The Intriguing Secrets Behind The “Mar-a-Lago Face”

At some point in 2024, a meme circulated about a trend in plastic surgery called “Mar-a-Lago face”, named after U.S. President Donald Trump’s golf resort and estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and describing people in Trumpland who seemed to have undergone similar plastic surgery procedures. The look is unmistakable: oversized lips, frozen forehead, puffed up cheeks, and in Matt Gaetz’s case, perma-surprised eyebrows.

Picking up on the trend, the internet got to work after Trump was elected, pasting before-and-after photos of those who most exemplify the trend, including Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security; Matt Gaetz, Trump’s failed nominee for U.S. Attorney General General; Laura Loomer, far-right political activist and Trump buddy; and Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. Ambassador to Greece. 

Now, one of the doctors who has apparently done some of the work, revealed in an interview that there are two people in particular who other people say they want to look like.

Ivanka Trump and Kristi Noem are the two women others aspire to resemble

Woman receiving cosmetic injection to forehead by plastic surgeon wearing blue gloves in clinical setting

Image credits: hedgehog94/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)

Mar-a-Lago estate exterior with palm trees and clear blue sky, related to plastic surgeons revealing Mar-a-Lago face secrets.

Image credits: Jud McCranie/Wikimedia

According to the Daily Mail, Dr. Norman Rowe is a board-certified plastic surgeon who practices in Manhattan, the Hamptons, and Palm Beach. 

Rowe said he sees more than a dozen patients a day at his office in Florida, mainly people with the same influences and social references. Most of his female clients ask to look like 43-year-old Ivanka Trump.

Image credits: roweplasticsurgery

“People will come in and say, ‘I want to look like her, I like her eyes, I like her nose, I like her lips,’” he told the Daily Mail.

Rowe’s older clients, meanwhile, have pointed to Kristi Noem as an example, saying that they ‘”like her look” and think she “looks wonderful.” 

Doctors describe puffed up faces and inflated lips as central to Mar-a-Lago face

Man in a suit and pink tie speaking at a podium, illustrating plastic surgeons revealing secrets behind Mar-a-Lago face.

Image credits: Gage Skidmore

Image credits: Laura Loomer

Other doctors have explained Mar-a-Lago face with a similar vocabulary.

Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Faryan Jalalabadi tells The Independent, “It’s the tiny little pixie nose and big lips.”

While other plastic surgeons have approached the matter with more openness. “The alleged Mar-a-Lago face is really just some bronzer and a little botox to improve one’s appearance,” said Dr. Gary Motykie from Los Angeles.

“Looks like something out of a Stephen King horror story.” Most netizens react negatively to the trend

Side-by-side photos of Ivanka Trump showing changes linked to Mar-a-Lago face and plastic surgery insights.

Image credits: Patrick McMullan/Getty Images/James Devaney/Getty Images

Comparison of two women showing signs associated with plastic surgeons' insights on Mar-a-Lago face effects.

Image credits: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images/Michael Buckner/Getty Images

Side-by-side images showing facial changes related to Mar-a-Lago face, highlighting plastic surgery effects.

Image credits: RepKristiNoem/Alex Brandon – Pool/Getty Images

“They look like retired adult movie stars,” one person said.

“They all look incredible for their ages. We all need a little help with age – just get the right help,” another person sympathized.

Screenshot of a comment saying they just cancelled their botox appointment, referencing Mar-a-Lago face plastic surgery insights.

Group of plastic surgeons discussing the intriguing secrets behind Mar-a-Lago face with serious expressions.

Yet others asked, “Laura Loomer is 31 years old. Why does someone that young need fillers?”

“Matt Gaetz looks like something out of a Stephen King horror story 😱”

Still another said, “Imagine paying to look like that? Paying! They look like Jim Carey in the Mask.”

“It’s a tiny little pixie nose and big lips,” doctors explain of the latest plastic surgery trend

Woman receiving cosmetic injection treatment on her face from a plastic surgeon wearing white gloves and a pink hair cover.

Image credits: uv_group/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)

It’s not just plastic surgery trends, but also fashion. The sheath dress, it has been pointed out, is the unofficial ‘uniform’ of conservative high profile women close to Trump. NY Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman says of the MAGA look: “There is a very specific look associated with women who subscribe to the Trump worldview, one that is sort of a cross between a Fox newscaster and Miss Universe.”

Text image showing a quote about concern for the soul, related to insights on Mar-a-Lago face from plastic surgeons.

Image of a man with a red face and a porcelain doll face representing plastic surgery and Mar-a-Lago face secrets discussion.

Friedman explains that the look generally includes shoulder length hair, false eyelashes, plumped up cheeks, heels, and a sheath dress.  

“The effect underscores an almost cartoonish femininity that speaks to a relatively old-fashioned gender stereotype; the counterpart to this woman is the square-jawed, besuited guy with a side part,” said Friedman. 

SLOTUS, Second Lady of the United States Usha Vance, is decidedly not on board

Close-up of a syringe injecting filler into lips illustrating plastic surgeons revealing secrets behind Mar-a-Lago face.

Image credits: Africa Studio/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)

One woman who is decidedly not embracing this style or Mar-a-Lago face is Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance. Known for her minimal or barely-there makeup and natural hair color, she was asked about fitting into the Trump aesthetic during an interview with the Free Press. After being asked if she was comfortable amongst the “blondes, Botox and facelifts of the White House,” Vance let out a hearty laugh. 

Image credits: VP

“For what it’s worth, my reception into this world—and I’m not from a particularly wealthy background, not from a very fashion-oriented background personally or professionally—has been really positive. People don’t seem to care all that much what I look like,” she told the publication.

Most online chatter tends to view the movement negatively

Comment about large lips, teeth, and cheekbones, reflecting opinions on Mar-a-Lago face from plastic surgeons.

Comment reading Life in plastic it's fantastic on a social media post, referencing plastic surgery and Mar-a-Lago face.

Person commenting online about Mar-a-Lago face, discussing plastic surgeons' views on the look getting worse.

Comment from Tommilyn London on social media discussing opinions about Mar-a-Lago face plastic surgery results.

Comment from John Caleb Collins discussing surgeries to change appearance and questioning faux outrage about them.

Comment from Lisa Ostos expressing disbelief about the desire to have Mar-a-Lago face plastic surgery results.

Screenshot of a social media comment criticizing the Mar-a-Lago face trend related to plastic surgery outcomes.

Comment by Beverly Stevens expressing skepticism about vanity and uniform facial appearances related to plastic surgery trends.

Comment on social media by AJ Meema expressing a sentiment about beauty and inner qualities related to Mar-a-Lago face discussion.

Comment on social media post discussing "Mar-a-Lago Face" with a focus on plastic surgery critiques and appearance concerns.

Screenshot of a social media comment reading Atleast we’ll know who to avoid related to Mar-a-Lago face discussion.

Screenshot of a social media comment by Elizabeth Johnson saying no one wants to look like a gargoyle, related to Mar-a-Lago face.

Social media comment criticizing cosmetic surgery results and mentioning Mar-a-Lago face and plastic surgeons' insights.

Comment screenshot showing Cinthya Trevino saying everyone looks the same, related to Mar-a-Lago face plastic surgery discussion.

Comment on social media post reading they look hideous, related to plastic surgeons revealing secrets behind Mar-a-Lago face.

Comment by Rik Krielaart saying The new type of lizards on a social media post with a black and white profile picture.

Comment reading They look constipated on a social media post about plastic surgeons revealing secrets behind Mar-a-Lago face.

Facebook comment from Stephanie Starks criticizing duck lips and lack of individuality, related to plastic surgeons and Mar-a-Lago face.

Comment text on a social media post discussing the effects of plastic surgery related to Mar-a-Lago face.

Comment on social media post reading everything about them is fake, related to plastic surgeons revealing secrets about Mar-a-Lago face.

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