Perfect chin line - Why is chewing gum popular again among Gen Z
There was a time when Kate Moss's extremely slender silhouette was the epitome of body aesthetics. They were called heroic figures back then, today they are called toxic. Then there was a time when men were built like action figures, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jean-Claude van Damme, having a masculine sexiness. What is considered beautiful lies somewhere between Bowie androgynity and Dolly Parton breasts, Fitness influencer and Rubens sensuality. The current fashion trend: a sharper chin than razor blades. Men of Gen Z bite their teeth together for it in the truest sense of the word. They have found their alkahest for the perfect chin in chewing gum.
Beauty ideals are an unfair thing. Some are lucky and blessed with the right genetics, while others have to work hard or even resort to surgery to achieve the currently popular look. Butts are formed with squats, jawlines – the English term for the jawline in this context is more common – with facial gymnastics. The training tool: hard chewing gum. On TikTok and YouTube, men of Gen Z chew gum like a high-performance sport. They document their supposed progress from a droopy chin to a chiseled profile in videos.
Ultra-hard chewing gum to make you more attractive
Meanwhile, numerous chewing gum brands have jumped on the trend. They offer chewing gum specifically developed for facial fitness, or training for facial muscles. Among them is "Stronger Gum". The brand boasts that it can model the jawline within two weeks. Or the competition "Jawliner", which declares its product as a facial fitness chewing gum directly. The companies argue with a study from 2018. This study suggests that chewing gum could improve bite force. The cautious formulation in the subjunctive is not from uncertainty. With only 19 participants, it was a mini-study with little significance. The scientific data basis is more than manageable. Moreover, various experts have spoken out who are skeptical or even against chewing gum for facial modeling. Dentist Dr. Andrea Jacob is among them.
Chewing gum for a perfect chin?
Jacob has tested the Jawliner gummi for roughly two months himself. A dentist shares her experiences on YouTube and clarifies the sense and nonsense of this trend. The explicitly child-restricted gummi she tested was "extremely hard." So hard that it pulled out an inlay while chewing. She explicitly states, "For such gummies, you need healthy teeth – solid fillings, solid bridges." She also explains that the human body has more muscles for closing than opening the jaw, making the movement tendency naturally towards closing. If this is further pushed and overstrained, leading to an imbalance between closers and openers, it can result in extreme problems. People who already have issues in that area, such as those who grind their teeth, should avoid these gummies. "That would be like pouring oil into a fire," she says.
And what about the optical effects? Does jawline gum chewing really make a difference? According to various videos on Social Media, yes. Many young men attribute their angular faces to jawline gum chewing. However, Andrea Jacob clarifies that it also depends on the fat content in the area. She says, "If there is more fat in the area, you won't be able to reduce it and build muscles within 30 days." Jacob's own chin-jawline area has not significantly changed through months of jawline gum chewing. Her conclusion: "My self-experiment did not reach its goal."
Sources: Study 1, Study 2, New York Times, YouTube
Generation Z individuals are embracing chewing gum as a popular trend to enhance their facial fitness and achieve the coveted sharp chin. According to Fitness influencers and chewing gum brands, ultra-hard varieties like "Stronger Gum" and "Jawliner" can help model the jawline within two weeks. However, dental experts like Dr. Andrea Jacob caution against using these products, as they can cause damage to teeth with fillings or bridges and exacerbate existing jaw issues. Despite this, many Gen Z men attribute their angular faces to jawline gum chewing, but the results may vary depending on the individual's fat content in the area.
