Mewing has got a lot of attention in 2020 and beyond. If you’ve just heard about it, this article should answer all your questions about it.
(Click here to skip to the section of whether mewing actually works)
What is mewing?
Mewing means putting your tongue at the roof of your mouth, shutting your mouth and setting your upper and lower teeth together so they’re lightly touching. It is named after an orthodontist named Dr. Mike Mew. Here he is himself explaining mewing (albeit not particularly clearly):
The idea of mewing, primarily, is that where your tongue usually rests in your mouth can influence your facial features and jawline. People in favor of mewing believe that by consistently practicing mewing and laying your tongue at the top of your mouth, you’ll get a more defined jawline and (very slowly) start to have more defined facial features.
The tongue posture and placement with mewing
When people talk about tongue posture, it refers to where your tongue rests (i.e. where it is most of the time when you’re not doing anything). For most people, the tip of your tongue will rest just behind your upper front teeth, and the rest of your tongue will tend to lay in the middle of your mouth. With mewing, the tip of your tongue will still rest just behind your upper front teeth, but the rest of your tongue (the middle and the back) will lay up against the roof of your mouth.
For a detailed how-to tutorial of how your tongue should be positioned with mewing, see the following video (1o minutes):
Mewing will feel unnatural to most people, and you may feel a very mild amount of pain or discomfort if you do it for long periods of time.
Mewing techniques
Refer to the above video and the paragraph I wrote for how you should mew. But there are 2 main techniques for mewing: soft mewing and hard mewing. With soft mewing, you do not use any force when you put your tongue up against the roof of your mouth. With hard mewing, you use as much force as you can when pressing the tongue up against the roof of your mouth. You should start off with soft mewing before trying hard mewing.
What are some before and after shots of mewing? Are there good results?
I have spent a fair amount of time looking up results from people who have tried mewing over a period of a few months, and there are several people who seem to have improved the shape of their jawline. It’s been said that it usually takes 2 to 6 months for mewing to get you noticeable results, so it’s definitely an exercise in patience.
Here are some popular before and after shots from YouTubers who have tried mewing, along with the relevant videos showing their mewing journey:
Video: 8 Months Mewing Before & After at Age 28 – Hmmmm
Video: My Mewing Transformation | Asian Man Mewing Before And After
Video: MEWING Transformation UPDATE, Defined Jawline, 4 months! Tongue Posture | Judy Neptune
Video: 7 MONTHS MEWING TRANSFORMATION – MEWING BEFORE AND AFTER !
Is mewing dangerous? Can it ruin your face?
Mewing is not inherently dangerous, and it won’t ruin your face. But you should know the following:
- As with anything, mewing can potentially be harmful if you do it in excess
- Mewing can cause pain if you don’t do it properly
- You should manage your expectations with mewing
Does mewing actually work? Is there any scientific proof of its validity?
I have spent several hours trying to look up evidence that mewing works, and at the time of writing (August 2020) there is no scientific evidence that mewing works. The only evidence for mewing is anecdotal reports from people on social media like I’ve shown above.