Gum Brands & Influencers Are Telling Teen Boys That Chewing Hard Gum Will Chisel Their Jawline
If you’re a teenage girl on social media, chances are your algorithm is filled with posts advertising various beauty products that promise to decrease the appearance of aging—from serums and moisturizers, to facial tools like jade rollers and Gua Shas designed to potentially diminish wrinkles, reduce double chins, or even snatch your jawlines. But, while young women are interested in skincare and makeup, different brands are capturing teen boys' attention in a different way: facial-fitness gum.
The Cut recently reported that several gum brands are marketing their products as "jaw-defining" gum. Brands like Rockjaw, Jawliner, and Stronger Gum allege that their tough-to-chew gum is similar to a facial workout and can reshape the customer's jaw, as well as "tone and tighten 57+ facial and neck muscles, anytime, anywhere."
Rockjaw, which was established in 2020, was the first mastic-based jawline gum on the market. The brand claims that regular, off-the-shelf gums are too soft to activate the masseter muscles, a.k.a. the primary muscles that bring the teeth together when chewing. But, since "mastic is 10x harder than regular gum, results can be 10x faster and 10x better than chewing regular gum," the site reads.
Dr. Mike Mew, the orthodontist who developed Jawliner's gum, was accused of medical misconduct by a patient and since stripped of his dental license, Fast Company reports.
Social media has since run with these products. On TikTok, male models and influencers can be seen advertising these gums as a way to achieve a chiseled jawline. It appears to be part of ongoing facial fitness trends such as "mewing" and "looksmaxxing," which targets young boys who want to achieve a more masculine appearance.
While brands continue to capitalize off of the trend, medical professionals are warning against chewing these tough gums. Celebrity cosmetic dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank, M.D., explained to The Cut that these products are "marketed on the hypothetical promise that chewing a tough piece of gum will grow the masseter muscles." But this may prove useless if the bone structure doesn't already exist. Besides, if a teenage boy develops an overgrown masseter muscles, Frank said, he might just end up with a wider, more square-shaped face, not a chiseled jaw.
Frank also said that the more defined jawlines on boys may develop naturally as they age. “Younger people tend to have more natural fat volume in their face,” he told The Cut. “For men that are thin and fit, as they age into their 20s and 30s they will naturally, likely, see more definition.”
The American Dental Association is also not onboard with hard-to-chew gum. "The intensity of chewing gum for extended periods of time on a regular basis—especially if it is dense or has a thick consistency—could lead to symptoms like jaw pain, headaches and put you at risk for temporomandibular disorders," the American Dental Association told Fast Company. "If you have a temporomandibular disorder, avoid chewing gum of any kind in general. Less is best to decrease the stress on your mouth."
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