The New Face of Washington
Cosmetic surgery, internet culture, and algorithmic beauty standards are reshaping masculinity and power in American politics
Political power is increasingly mediated through appearance, sculpted in cosmetic clinics and sharpened by online subcultures. What began as a fringe obsession known as “looksmaxxing” is now reshaping how men, from teenage boys to presidential advisors, understand leadership, strength, and self-worth.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Life in America today can sometimes feel like it’s been plucked from a dystopian novel. Masked federal agents are raiding homes, businesses, and schools. Just this week, the president sent National Guard troops and the Marines into Los Angeles to quell protests that he believes are riots. There has been reporting that the Secretary of Homeland Security wants to create a reality show for immigrants seeking citizenship. And those are just the headlines.
Beyond the headlines, other social changes are quietly beginning to take root. According to a Politico Magazine article by Joanna Weiss last week, cosmetic surgeons in D.C. are reporting a surge in jawline procedures for men. Chin implants are up 26 percent, and neck lifts are up 13 percent. Dermatologists are fielding requests from Hill aides and C-suite executives alike who want to look “strong on camera” without looking like they’ve had anything done.
Taken together, it’s all oddly reminiscent of Suzanne Collins’ immensely popular Hunger Games series of young adult novels, where teenagers are forced to fight for survival in a brutal, televised death match designed to entertain the ruling elite and suppress rebellion. Caesar Flickerman, one of the main characters and the long-standing host of the Hunger Games, is described as having an appearance that has been "virtually unchanged" for over forty years, while another character, the oppressive President Snow, has lips that are "overly full" and skin that is "stretched too tight," suggesting potential botched cosmetic surgery.
What we’re seeing in Washington and across this nation is the emergence of a new optics of power and a new cultural script of masculinity and strength. In a city where confidence must be performed, and leadership must be seen before it’s heard, the jawline and masculine aesthetic are becoming something like currency. “Looksmaxxing,” as it’s commonly known, is quickly becoming the norm.
From Incel Forums to the Halls of Power
Born in online incel forums, looksmaxxing originally referred to a regimen of exercises, products, and sometimes surgical interventions intended to “maximize” a man’s facial attractiveness. It was built on a belief system that if you’re not conventionally attractive, you don’t deserve attention, love, or opportunity. Fix your face, or stay invisible.
For years, looksmaxxing lived in the toxic shadows of the internet, where it fueled resentment, misogyny, and hopelessness. But like many ideas born in fringe spaces these days, it has gone mainstream, repackaged by influencers and algorithmically promoted to boys and young men across TikTok and Instagram. Gone is the overt rage; in its place, a performance of self-improvement, like skincare routines, posture correction, “mewing” (a controversial jawline-enhancing tongue posture), and even filler tutorials, has become the norm.
Now, it’s not just teenage boys chewing specialized gum to “activate their mandible.” Senior government advisors are scheduling subtle cosmetic tweaks to project gravitas under high-definition scrutiny. The glow-up has entered the political class.
In today’s visual economy, a masculine jawline symbolizes strength. A prominent chin connotes confidence, a clean neckline suggests discipline, and a sharp jaw implies competence.
This logic is now embedded into the social DNA of an entire generation. Apps like UMAX, which use facial recognition to rate users’ attractiveness and prescribe improvements, have millions of downloads. Some influencers film their facial evolution, like fitness influencers track their six-pack gains. Others sell supplements, jaw trainers, or filler packages. The line between self-optimization and obsession has thinned.
What Women Have Known All Along
For decades, women have borne the weight of impossible beauty standards. They’ve lived with the expectation that value begins with appearance, that ambition must coexist with aesthetic perfection, and that aging is a condition to be concealed.
Some women, especially those in the president’s circle, have succumbed to the so-called “Mar-a-Lago” face, which Salon described as “aggressive plastic surgery, fake tan, and make-up spackled on so thick that it would crack — if the fillers hadn't already paralysed their faces.”
Now, men are being nudged to join them, and the data makes the messages are resonating:
A 2022 study from Chapman University found that 43% of men reported dissatisfaction with their appearance, nearly triple the rate from the 1990s.
Muscle dysmorphia, a condition where individuals obsess over not being muscular enough, now affects an estimated 22% of men, with rising rates of disordered eating.
Men aged 18 to 34 are now more likely than women to undergo Botox and facial filler treatments.
The male grooming industry is projected to top $115 billion globally by 2028, expanding at more than 8% annually.
Just as beauty brands once preyed on women’s insecurities, they’ve now pivoted to target men with military-grade precision: jawline gum, bro-branded moisturizers, and AI-generated diagnostics that claim to reveal how attractive you really are.
We used to talk about the “male gaze” in media—the way films and advertising positioned women as objects of male desire, shaping how women were expected to look and behave. Now, that same gaze has been turned inward, with men scrutinizing their faces and bodies through the lens of curated, hyper-idealized standards—not to admire themselves, but to search for flaws to fix.
A Cultural Crossroads
There’s nothing inherently wrong with men caring about their appearance. A thoughtful grooming routine or desire to feel confident on camera isn’t toxic. The problem arises when appearance becomes the currency of value, when identity is reduced to a filtered version of one's face, and when strength is measured in facial symmetry.
And that’s exactly what’s happening.
The jawline has become an important asset in D.C., where the president elevates those with “made-for-TV” faces. But that message had already taken hold years ago in middle schools and college dorms across the nation: fix your face, or be forgotten. Now, it is being reinforced by the political class.
For men who’ve long been told that success comes from action, the new reality is more passive-aggressive. First, you must be seen. Only then will you be heard.
We need to:
Broaden the conversation about body image to include men, and treat it with the same seriousness we give to girls’ and women’s self-esteem.
Push back on algorithmic aesthetics that reward and recirculate unattainable ideals.
Teach young men media literacy so they can decode manipulation when they see it, whether in a sponsored post or an AI-generated jawline.
Celebrate male role models who model integrity, resilience, and authenticity—unfiltered and unedited.
Because the more we reduce masculinity to a look, the more fragile it becomes. The more we rely on style over substance, the more likely we’ll be rewarded with a political leaders who lack the skills and resilience needed to lead a nation into the future.
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