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Mar-a-Lago face

Plastic surgery and fashion trend From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mar-a-Lago face
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Mar-a-Lago face is a plastic surgery and fashion trend among American conservative and Republican individuals described as excessive or uniform plastic surgery interventions such as lip augmentation, Botox, and jaw contouring, coupled with heavy makeup, spray tans, fake eyelashes, and dark smoky eyes.[1][4] The trend has been described as a status symbol among Donald Trump's inner circle, signaling wealth, privilege, and alignment with Trumpism.[5][1][6] Some commentators and surgeons have described the look as engineered and overdone, and have linked it to the aesthetics and aspects of Trump-era politics.[7][2][8] Cosmetic surgeons listed facial surgery, injectable filler, and cosmetic dental work among the procedures constituting the look.[9] Noted public figures described as having the Mar-a-Lago face include First Lady Melania Trump,[2] Matt Gaetz,[10] Kimberly Guilfoyle,[1] Kristi Noem,[2] and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump.[8]

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Kimberly Guilfoyle,[1] Kristi Noem[2] and Melania Trump[3] have been described as having Mar-a-Lago face.

Plastic surgeons and consultants describe Mar-a-Lago face as a deliberately conspicuous and homogenized aesthetic, with one estimate placing the 2025 cost of a full set of procedures at around $90,000 plus ongoing maintenance.[9] Journalistic and academic analyses have situated the trend within far-right and Trump-aligned visual culture, arguing that a recurring, highly stylized face helps signal allegiance to Trump and project shared values among his supporters.[11] Some commentators compare the look to forms of aesthetic eugenics tied to a Caucasian beauty ideal and to the display of the body as a political symbol for Trump’s circle.[6] Others relate Mar-a-Lago face to gender-affirming surgery or drag-like performances of exaggerated femininity and masculinity within the MAGA movement.[10] Conservative surgeons and writers have criticized the label as a politically motivated attack on conservative women and allies of Trump, rather than a neutral description of cosmetic trends.[12]

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Description

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According to Women.com, Mar-a-Lago face is characterized by excessive makeup, fake tans, fake eyelashes, dark smoky eyes, and lip augmentation.[1] The Week called the look a "must-have accessory" for the inner circle of President Donald Trump.[5] Mar-a-Lago face is named for Trump's home in Florida, Mar-a-Lago.[2] Melinda Anna Farina, an aesthetic consultant, identified the Mar-a-Lago face as attempting to emulate the appearance of Eastern European women.[2]

Board-certified surgeon Jeffrey Lisiecki characterized the Mar-a-Lago face as "overfilled cheeks that are high and firm, full lips and very taut, smooth skin".[9] Writing for The Guardian, Arwa Mahdawi commented that when the appearance is applied to men, enhancements are applied to the jawline rather than lip size.[13] Mark Epstein, a New York City plastic surgeon, observed an increase in requests in the wake of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.[14] From January 2025 onward, plastic surgeons in the U.S. capital area reported a "surge in ‘Mar-a-Lago face’ requests from Trump insiders".[15] Axios reported the increase was due to many Floridians moving to the Washington area at the time.[15]

Procedures

One cosmetic surgeon listed a brow lift, a face and neck lift, an eyelid lift, a nose job, fat transfer to the face, Botox, injectable filler, neuromodulation, microneedling, facials, chemical peels, laser treatments, "medical-grade skin care products", and dental veneers among the procedures constituting Mar-a-Lago face.[9] Kelly Bolden, a plastic surgeon, reported that those who want a Mar-a-Lago face "have to be able to handle needles" in order to receive "overdone filler and Botox that gives them that mask-face type of appearance".[15]

California surgeon Matthew Nykiel estimated the 2025 cost in U.S. dollars to be approximately $90,000 along with upkeep costs of $2,500 per year.[9]

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Analysis

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The Hollywood Reporter describes Mar-a-Lago face as a "Fellini-esque exaggeration of the dolled-up Fox News anchorwoman look".[8] One etiquette and image consultant told HuffPost that the aesthetic is designed to signal wealth and privilege.[9] Beyond what this beauty trend may look like in practice, the use of plastic surgery to create a homogenized aesthetic has been attributed to the success of anti-feminist and far-right social media content. Megan L. Zahay, professor of communications at the University of Wisconsin, asserts that repetition of the aesthetic serves to amplify particular ideological beliefs, creating a sense of in-group homogeneity or consensus.[16] Barnard College professor Anne Higonnet argues the move towards this particular aesthetic serves as "a sign of physical submission to Donald Trump", in that the aesthetic creates traditional feminine and masculine features.[11]

Santiago Martinez Magdalena of the University of Navarra compares Mar-a-Lago face to "aesthetic eugenics", and associates it with "the Caucasian model as a hygienic and normative horizon, the choice of working models and the exposure of the body as the focal point".[6] Catherine Tebaldi of the University of Luxembourg and Scott Burnett of Pennsylvania State University hypothesize the inclusion of men within this aesthetic to be a part of a broader trend in the US far right movement, bolstered by online image boards and publications, where both "hardness" and symmetry in facial features is seen as important to outwardly demonstrated masculinity.[17] The promotion of a uniform aesthetic within the MAGA movement has been likened to body fascism,[18] an ideology which prizes individual physical strength and beauty conformities as reflections of the wider political movement of fascism.[19]

Joan López Alegre, a professor at Abat Oliba CEU University, describes the phenomenon as reflecting Trump's changing base: "The Trump voter is no longer a conservative voter like the Bush voter, but a lower middle-class voter. It is not clear to me whether they want to be more like Romeo Santos or Barbie's Ken".[2] He further states that Trump's aesthetics were seen as "tacky" in New York City, but are more accepted in Florida, and therefore may appeal to the evolving demographic support of the Republican party.[2] A Boca Raton plastic surgeon said Mar-a-Lago face "whispers refinement", and a Washington, D.C.-area surgeon identified it as a "modern aristocratic mask".[15]

Reaction to trend

Many of Donald Trump's critics have sought to identify any hypocrisies arising from the ideological proponents of natural health and traditional beliefs about women. Writing in Der Tagesspiegel, Ronja Merkel compares the bodies and physical appearance of the present Trump cabinet and members to the Trumpist version of America First ideology: that those who fail to meet even the artificial image of America are unwelcome.[20] Merkel describes the surgically altered appearances of Trump insiders as "rules, control, and the restoration of a 'natural' hierarchy".[20] Christoph Künne writes in the German magazine Docma that Mar-a-Lago face is not "total disfigurement", quoting a surgeon who described the look as "overdone" and "plastic".[7]

Writing for Mother Jones, Inae Oh calls Mar-a-Lago face "gender-affirming care the right can celebrate".[10] She states that Mar-a-Lago face "seems intended to signal membership with Trump" and "force strict gender norms" with a blunt approach.[5][10] Eva Wiseman in the Otago Daily Times also associates Mar-a-Lago face with gender-affirming care and drag.[21] The Week describes the trend as "the leader and followers compet[ing] to inject as much unsightliness as possible into the American field of vision".[5] Joan Callarissa, a fashion-and-celebrity journalist, identifies Mar-a-Lago face as an extension of Trump's "counter-revolutionary" movement, saying, "If they have a face they don't like, they change it, without caring if it looks natural or not, because reality does not matter to Trumpism".[6] Ani Wilcenski writes in The Spectator that Mar-a-Lago face represents the "broader Trumpian artifice" and the "national id" of the US.[3] The Chosun Ilbo observed that Mar-a-Lago face is a trend of "noisy facial transformations" among Trump loyalists.[22]

In response to criticism, surgeon and conservative activist Sheila Nazarian has described the term "Mar-a-Lago face" as an attack on conservative women.[12] In USA Today, Nicole Russell said conservative women were victims of "cruel attacks" due to Mar-a-Lago face.[15]

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Noted individuals

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Florida congressman Matt Gaetz is a noted example of Mar-a-Lago face in a male

Individuals who have been described as having Mar-a-Lago face include:

See also

References

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