Plastic surgery has become, perhaps unsurprisingly, a new political battleground. That is, at least, according to experts who are now assigning opposing meanings to two facial aesthetics.
The conspicuously polished “Mar-a-Lago face” has been linked to Donald Trump’s circle, while surgeon Dr. Melinda Lacerna Kimbrell says Hollywood is gravitating toward a subtler “anti-Mar-a-Lago face.”
The names might sound like memes, but experts studying the trend say appearance can signal which group someone wants to belong to. Much like a T-shirt bearing a political slogan, a face can become a way to show allegiance, with some people altering their features to fit in.
“It’s less about beauty than about group signaling,” Behavioral scientist Jordan Bridger explained in an interview.
The “Mar-a-Lago face” turned cosmetic work into a sign of political allegiance
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The name comes from Trump’s Florida estate and the wealthy Palm Beach scene around it, and refers to an exceptionally polished look associated with full lips, prominent cheeks, smooth skin and, perhaps more importantly, a deep tan.
The phrase has increasingly been applied to women in Trump’s political orbit, such as Kristi Noem, Laura Loomer and Kimberly Guilfoyle.
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The term has become so widespread that patients now use it in consultation rooms.
In a November 10, 2025, report by Axios, Washington plastic surgeon Dr. Anita Kulkarni said she had turned down requests from newly arrived political insiders seeking “a more done look, like that Mar-a-Lago face.”
Another local surgeon, Dr. Troy Pittman, described a difference between his traditional Washington clients and those arriving from the Palm Beach scene. The latter were more willing to talk about their procedures and exchange recommendations, he said.
Behavioral scientist Jordan Bridger offered a more direct explanation in an interview published by the Daily Mail on October 15, 2026.
“Faces work as quick identity badges,” he said. When a look becomes associated with one group, people who want to distance themselves from it may choose a different appearance.
He called this “distinction-seeking”: using visible cues to show others where you belong.
As “Mar-a-Lago face” grew into a recognizable label, it also became a point of comparison for people seeking a different result.
Dr. Kimbrell described the Hollywood alternative as “relaxed rather than armored”
Kimbrell, owner of LA Plastic Surgery, told the Daily Mail that she had seen a “definite pendulum swing” away from conspicuous filler and cosmetic work. She called the emerging aesthetic the “anti-Mar-a-Lago face.”
Having performed more than 1,000 facelifts, she described the look in practical terms.
“The brows sit naturally and still move, the eyes look open rather than pulled, the cheeks have shape without looking inflated,” she said. “The lips remain proportionate to the rest of the face.”
Kimbrell said Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway and Lindsay Lohan are among the stars who embodied the refreshed, recognizable appearance she meant.
She said the phenomenon has organically gained traction as patients are becoming increasingly aware of “filler migration, distorted proportions” and the effects of treating each facial feature separately.
“Women have watched celebrities and influencers become less recognizable after repeated treatments,” she added.
The move towards more subtle cosmetic work has precedent.
In a December 29, 2025, forecast, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons identified “refinement and preservation” as likely priorities for 2026.
Similarly, in an August 13, 2026, article, it reported that many patients were seeking more natural proportions or considering reversals of earlier changes.
Psychologists said the look can signal allegiance, but a face cannot prove someone’s politics
Jordan Bridger explained the idea as a form of distinction-seeking. Once an appearance becomes strongly associated with one social group, someone who dislikes that association may choose a different style.
He also said people tend to trust faces that move and show expression, which many readers interpreted as a jab towards Botox injections, known to cause temporary muscle paralysis to soften lines caused by facial movement.
That makes two of Kimbrell’s examples awkward choices.
As Bored Panda reported, after the trailer for The Odyssey appeared, viewers criticized Anne Hathaway for what they perceived as limited movement in her forehead. Hathaway has denied rumors about cosmetic surgery.
In March 2025, Lindsay Lohan faced similar comments over a crying scene in Our Little Secret.
Psychiatrist Dr. Sam Zand, founder of Anywhere Clinic, cautioned that putting additional labels on cosmetic work could be counterproductive, as it imposes another expectation on women
“We should be careful not to read someone’s politics from their superficial connections,” he added.
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