Mewing Meme: A Viral TikTok Trend That’s Causing A Stir Among School Teachers

The term “mewing” may sound related to cats, but you’d be sorely mistaken. Originally stemming from a facial exercise technique, the mewing meme has exploded on TikTok, with hundreds of users sharing jawline transformation videos.

teenager before and after mewing Image credits: jacob_rtt

In this article, we’ll delve deeper into the social media craze that has recently resurfaced, from when it first started to why it has faced a backlash from school teachers.

Table of Contents

What Is Mewing?

The term “mewing” first appeared online when a British orthodontist, Mike Mew, began promoting orthotropics (dentistry branch correcting facial growth) as an alternative to traditional orthodontics.

According to WebMD, mewing is a tongue exercise in which you flatten your tongue so that it rests against the roof of your mouth (1). Holding your tongue in this position for extended periods supposedly alters the shape and structure of your jawline.

Although this technique has only been proven effective for children aged 5-10 whose jawlines are still developing, videos began surfacing far and wide with teens sharing Mew’s ideas for jawline improvement.

Online Spread

Mike Mew’s presentation appeared on YouTube channel 21 Studios on March 19, 2014. In it, Mew shared research comparing orthotropics to orthodontics.

The video then spread to the RedPillTalk Forums (previously known as S***hate), and on June 17, 2014, Mew uploaded a video in response on YouTube.

A post was added to the RedPillTalk Forums in October 2014, asking if any updates had been made on the subject, to which Mew did not respond.

On April 13, 2018, YouTuber Astro Sky uploaded a video titled “Why Mewing Is Important To All!” demonstrating how the mewing technique dramatically improved his jawline.

Later the same year, on September 22, a YouTube channel called Orthotropics featured a video titled “Doing Mewing,” in which Mike Mew demonstrated how to mew correctly.

On December 19, 2018, YouTuber Judy Neptune uploaded a video titled “How I Changed My Facial Bone Structure by Mewing”. The video achieved over 134,000 views but has now been removed.

On January 19, 2019, previously mentioned YouTuber Astro Sky uploaded another popular video titled “Mewing For Beginners,” explaining the basics of mewing for those new to the practice.

Mewing was mentioned in the Coventry Live on February 19, 2019, and then featured again on February 22 by YouTuber Brett Maverick in the following video (2).

Trending Mewing Meme Compilation

The mewing trend has spawned countless internet memes; we’ve compiled some of the most popular ones below.

Mewing vs. Conventional Methods

Mewing vs Conventional Methods meme Image credits: Ungula

“I Ain’t No Gigachad”

mewing meme with a bird Image credits: 2MASS

Squidword’s Mewing Transformation

Squidword’s Mewing Transformation meme Image credits: reddit.com

Generational Struggles

Generational Struggles mewing meme

Image credits: Abatirabadai

Jota Kujo Before and After Mewing

Jota Kujo Before and After Mewing meme Image credits: BoraHcn

Mewing Trend Spin-Off Takes Over Schools

There has been a recent development of mewing among school students. According to TikTok user @mr_lindsay_sped, teenagers and preteens are now using mewing as an excuse to avoid engaging with their teachers, showcasing the mewing technique as the reason for their inability to speak.

@mr_lindsay_sped
Replying to @Ohmygoodness Don’t let them hit you with the 🤫🤫🤫! 😂 This one is called #mewing and thisnis what it is! #genalpha #slang #genz #middleschoolslang #teach #teachersoftiktok #teacherfyp #highschoolteacher #middleschoolteacher #mewing
♬ original sound – Mr. Lindsay

A viral TikTok video (below) by Teresa Kaye Newman, a 36-year-old teacher from Texas, explains how teachers reacted to this trend.

@teresakayenewman
What is the “mewing” gesture, why are students mewing their teachers, and why is it harmful and disruptive to the learning environment? #teacher
♬ original sound – Newman Music Academy

Newman believes the mewing trend aims to embarrass adults, especially teachers, and goes as far as to say that mewing “is probably gonna be the final reason I will decide to never to return to the classroom to teach ever again.”

According to the Buzzfeed article “‘Mewing’ Is A Viral New Trend Among Students, And This 36-Year-Old Teacher Explained Why It’s ‘Smug’ And ‘Rude'” by Dannica Ramirez, mewing is generally seen as disrespectful not only to teachers but also to the Deaf community, as it involves an ASL (American Sign Language) sign unrelated to the trend (3).

Is Mewing Still Popular?

The buzz around mewing continues to gain traction on social media. Over the last few months, several videos demonstrating mewing have emerged, including one posted by @beaelegantboy1 that is already nearing 200k views on TikTok at the time of publishing this article.

@beaelegantboy1
Mewing Tutorial ⚜️ App used for rating – TrueRateMe AI ✨🦅 #fyp #jawline #glowup #glowuptips #mewing #mewingtutorial #foryoupage #gotoforyou #elegantboy✨🦅
♬ original sound – Mizerki Audios

FAQ

What does mewing mean in slang?

According to the Urban Dictionary, the term “mewing” has more than one meaning in slang. However, the most relevant one to our story could be described as “the practice of using proper tongue posture to improve facial beauty and fix malocclusion of the teeth (4).”

Can mewing too much be bad?

In her article “Can Mewing Reshape Your Face” on Health, Carley Millhone suggests that you should avoid restructuring your face without consulting a healthcare provider. However, she also notes that as little evidence exists to show that mewing works, it’s unlikely to be a risky practice (5).

References

Frysh, Paul, and King, Lori M. “What is Mewing?”. WebMD, June 10, 2024. | https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/what-is-mewing
Nisha Mal and James Rodger. “‘Mewing’, the new health craze taking over Instagram and YouTube.” Coventry Live. February 18, 2019. | https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/what-is-mewing-youtube-instagram-15826752
Dannica Ramirez. “‘Mewing” Is A Viral New Trend Among Students, And This 36-Year-Old Teacher Explained Why It’s ‘Smug’ and “Rude.” Buzzfeed, March 13, 2024. | https://www.buzzfeed.com/dannicaramirez/teacher-explains-mewing-trend
@MewingLifestyle. “Mewing”. Urban Dictionary, May 22, 2019. | https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mewing
Carley Millhone. “Can Mewing Reshape Your Face?”. Health, March 22, 2024. | https://www.health.com/mewing-7098082#:~:text=Mewing+is+a+face%2Dreconstructing,%2C+breathing%2C+or+orthodontic+issues

Poll Question

Thanks! Check out the results:

I work as a visual editor at Bored Panda, where my main responsibilities include searching for or creating illustrations related to gardening and home design posts, as well as working with meme content. The meme content not only enhances my creativity but also helps to improve my work mood. As a first step towards my dream of having a beautiful house with a gorgeous garden, I have started growing greenery in pots on my balcony. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with my friends and playing board games. Spending time with my three-year-old corgi named Halfy is the best way to lift my mood and bring positivity to my day. I truly believe I can spread more positive vibes on social media.

Read less »

What do you think ?

POST

Nix 4 months ago

Its easy to make fun of younger generations for promoting stupid things like this, until you remember that people in my generation (and older) are actively promoting things like essential oils to replace real medical care. This is pretty harmless compared to that.

3points

AKA AKA 4 months ago (edited)

i dont get what the teachers' problem is. hey are litrally just breathing through thir nose. they are less likely to get ill this way as well as they wont be able to talk

3points

Emie N. 4 months ago

Because kids are using it not to help their health but to be disrespectful.

1point

Load More Replies...

john doe 4 months ago

This is dumb, when I was a kid I was a bad tongue thruster so I had to go to therapy for it, the therapy was mostly to training me to put my tongue on the proper spot in my mouth for resting. This is what they are calling mewing, I've been doing it for 30 years now and the only health benefits are it prevents you from pushing your teeth with your tongue and causing them to have an open bite. I remember the therapist saying it can help prevent chin growth as well which is interesting because it seems that people now think that it will grow you a masculine chin line? It's all so silly people will go in for anything that seems like an easy solution.

2points

Load More Comments

POST

Nix 4 months ago

3points

AKA AKA 4 months ago (edited)

i dont get what the teachers' problem is. hey are litrally just breathing through thir nose. they are less likely to get ill this way as well as they wont be able to talk

3points

Emie N. 4 months ago

Because kids are using it not to help their health but to be disrespectful.

1point

Load More Replies...

john doe 4 months ago

2points

Load More Comments

Mewing Meme: A Viral TikTok Trend That’s Causing A Stir Among School Teachers

What Is Mewing?

Online Spread