mewing
noun
| MYOO-ing
A tongue technique purported to enhance one’s jaw and face
What does mewing mean?
Mewing is the practice, especially among young men, of placing one’s tongue against the roof of the mouth to supposedly improve the structure and increase the attractiveness of one’s jaw and facial structure (a practice that has not been found to be effective). Mewing has prompted a trend where young people joke that they cannot answer teachers or other adults because they are busy doing it.
Related words include mew and mewer. All of these are unrelated to mewing, the high-pitched crying sound a cat makes.
Examples of mewing
I guess “mewing” is what the kids do to both show off their jaw line and tell their teachers to shut up.
—@ashtonkynmama, X (formerly Twitter), 23 Aug. 2024
It is doubtful that mewing in any amount could produce the types of results that are popularly claimed, such as developing a significantly different jawline.
—In this mewing tutorial I go over proper tongue placement at rest and how to mew properly when swallowing.
—
Where does mewing come from?
Mewing is named after John and Mike Mew, controversial British orthodontists, who have promoted discredited methods that they claim reshape the teeth and jaw for cosmetic and health benefits. One technique involves positioning the tongue on the roof of the mouth while the jaw is relaxed. Videos about the technique, including those published by and featuring Mike Mew himself, spread among Internet incel forums in the mid-2010s, and practicing this tongue posture thereafter became referred to as mewing. In the late 2010s, mewing became a prominent form of so-called looksmaxxing, the often problematic practices that young men undertake to enhance their attractiveness (frequently based on stereotypical male beauty standards like having a chiseled jaw).
Mewing went viral in spring 2024 after it became part of a joke young students reportedly played in school: when a teacher calls on them, they would refuse to reply by placing an index finger over their lips, as if shushing, and tracing another finger along their jawline. This dismissive gesture is meant to communicate they cannot answer because they are engaged in mewing.
How is mewing used?
Mewing is widely used online in content, such as short tutorials or video testimonials, that promote the technique. As with many other trends, it is also now used in jest or parody—as well as in serious discussions about the impacts of digital culture on the well-being of young men and, yes, respectful behavior in classrooms. The emoji sequence 🤫🧏, which combines Shushing Face emoji and Deaf Person emoji, is sometimes used to represent the word or act of mewing.
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