Mar-a-Lago face is a plastic surgery and fashion trend among American conservative and Republican individuals such as excessive makeup, fake tans, fake eyelashes, dark smokey eyes, and full lips.
The trend has been described as a status symbol among Donald Trump’s inner circle, purportedly signaling wealth, privilege, and alignment with Trumpism. 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. One cosmetic surgeon listed facial surgery, fillers, and cosmetic dental work among the procedures constituting the look.
Notable public figures described as having the Mar-a-Lago face include First Lady Melania Trump, Matt Gaetz, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Kristi Noem, and Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump. ‘The Week’ called the look a ‘must-have accessory’ for the inner circle of President Donald Trump. Mar-a-Lago face is named for Trump’s home in Florida, Mar-a-Lago. Melinda Anna Farina, an aesthetic consultant, identified the Mar-a-Lago face as attempting to emulate the appearance of Eastern European women.
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.’ 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. 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.
One cosmetic surgeon listed a brow lift, a face and neck lift, an eyelid lift, a nose job, transfer of fat to the face, Botox, fillers, neuromodulators, microneedling, facials, chemical peels, laser treatments, ‘medical-grade skin care products,’ and dental veneers among the procedures constituting Mar-a-Lago face. 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.
Mar-a-Lago face became popularized after a 2024 ‘Hollywood Reporter’ story indicated that the trend had begun to go viral early in the year. The aesthetic has been criticized by plastic surgeons themselves, as well as tabloid and pop culture publications, claiming it is a ‘Fellini-esque exaggeration of the dolled-up Fox News anchorwoman look.’
The look has similarly been interpreted to signal wealth and privilege. 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 or far-right social media content. The repetition of the aesthetic can serve to amplify particular ideological beliefs, and create a sense of homogeneity or consensus in belief. Barnard 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.
The inclusion of men within this aesthetic is hypothesized to be a part of a broader trend in the U.S. 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. The promotion of a uniform aesthetic within the MAGA movement has been likened to body fascism, the promotion of individual physical strength and beauty conformities to reflect the wider political movement of fascism.
Joan López Alegre, a professor at Abat Oliba CEU University, analyzed 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.’ He further noted 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.
Mar-a-Lago face has also garnered interest internationally. German commentator Ronja Merkel compared 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. Merkel framed the surgically altered appearances of Trump insiders as ‘rules, control, and the restoration of a ‘natural’ hierarchy.’
Many of Donald Trump’s critiques have sought to identify any hypocrisies arising from the ideological proponents of natural health and traditional beliefs about women. Writing for ‘Mother Jones,’ Inae Oh called Mar-a-Lago face ‘gender-affirming care the right can celebrate.’ She similarly stated that Mar-a-Lago face ‘seems intended to signal membership with Trump’ and ‘force strict gender norms’ with a blunt approach.
‘The Week’ described the trend as ‘the leader and followers compet[ing] to inject as much unsightliness as possible into the American field of vision.’ Joan Callarissa, a fashion-and-celebrity journalist, identified 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.’ Ani Wilcenski wrote in ‘The Spectator’ that Mar-a-Lago face represents the ‘broader Trumpian artifice’ and the ‘national id’ of the USA.
In response to this criticism, surgeon and conservative activist Sheila Nazarian described the term ‘Mar-a-Lago face’ as an attack on conservative women.
The Daily Omnivore 
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