The flawless looks of Hollywood celebrities appear to be giving way to a new beauty phenomenon sweeping across conservative America — the so-called “Mar-a-Lago face.” Named after President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach resort, it has become a defining cosmetic and fashion trend among the president’s allies and admirers in Washington, D.C., since his return to the White House.
According to reports, plastic surgeons in the U.S. capital have seen a surge in patients seeking visibly altered appearances that mirror the stylised features of Trump’s inner circle — a shift fuelled by what some describe as an attempt to impress the president himself.
What is the ‘Mar-a-Lago face’?
The “Mar-a-Lago face” refers to a distinct combination of cosmetic enhancements inspired by Ivanka Trump’s signature look. Plastic surgeon Matthew J. Nykiel told HuffPost it embodies “a recognisable combination of facial features and plastic surgery enhancements, often modelled after Ivanka Trump’s signature look.”
Dr Jeffrey Lisiecki, another plastic surgeon cited by HuffPost, described the aesthetic as marked by “overfilled cheeks that are high and firm, full lips and very taut, smooth skin.” The Week added that it includes “a strong jawline, well-defined eyebrows, an elevated hairline, and very white teeth.”
Achieving the look typically involves a series of costly procedures — from veneers, Botox and facelifts to eyelid surgery and injectable fillers. Nykiel estimated the transformation can cost around $90,000 (£70,000), with annual maintenance expenses of about $2,500 (£2,200).
A cosmetic shift in Washington
The Axios report that popularised the term noted a sharp rise in requests for “overt procedures” since January, when Trump resumed office. Plastic surgeon Troy Pittman told the outlet that this marked a cultural shift for Washington’s elite. “People in the U.S. capital want to look good but don’t want it to be obvious they’ve had work done,” he said. “Now we’re seeing people who want to look like they had something done.”
Pittman said his “Maga-verse clients” were increasingly opting for more lip fillers and wrinkle treatments such as Botox and Dysport. He dubbed them the “Palm Beach crowd,” a nod to Trump’s Florida base.
Not all surgeons have welcomed the trend. Dr Anita Kulkarni told Axios she had declined clients requesting “a more done look, like that Mar-a-Lago face,” warning that excessive procedures could result in “filler blindness” — a condition where patients “lose sight of anatomic normalcy.”
Meanwhile, surgeon Navin Singh observed that male clients, often Republican operatives from states such as Texas, were seeking treatments to appear “younger” and “more virile and masculine.”
The political undertone
While Hollywood increasingly favours “natural looks” and “minimalist procedures,” The Independent noted that Trump-world has embraced the opposite. Analysts suggest the look carries a deeper political symbolism.
Professor Juliet Williams, a gender studies scholar at UCLA, told AFP the “Mar-a-Lago face” is “a way of signalling to all women that your value depends on your attractiveness to men.” She added: “It’s a mistake to dismiss this as just about fashion… it’s actually absolutely central because this Trump Maga movement was able to return to the White House… I believe, essentially because of leveraging the gender war.”
Who has the look?
Several members of Trump’s inner circle are said to embody the “Mar-a-Lago face.” The Daily Mail suggested that the transformation among some female political figures reflected “a desire to please” a president “believed to have a preference for attractive subordinates.”
In 2024, The Daily Beast noted “look-alike women in Donald Trump’s orbit,” including First Lady Melania Trump and his then-deputy communications chief Margo Martin.
More recently, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has faced speculation over cosmetic enhancements, with Daily Mail quoting surgeons who attributed her “transformed appearance” to “subtle tweaks using Botox to banish wrinkles and filler to plump her cheeks and lips.”
As Trump’s political and cultural influence reshapes Washington once again, the “Mar-a-Lago face” has come to symbolise more than aesthetic preference — it reflects a broader movement where image, power and loyalty blur into a single, unmistakable look.
(With inputs from agencies)
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