Finally, on the exact same day as The New York Times’ and The Atlantic’s stories, the Independent pushed the envelope even farther: “
Mar-a-Lago face: The plastic surgery trend that’s taking over Trump’s inner circle.” Here’s the opener:
At
Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, his inner sanctum gathered in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Among the guests were
Melania Trump,
Kristi Noem (the Homeland Security Secretary), and
Lauren Sanchez (wife of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos). As they stood meters from each other, it was hard not to notice the similarities. The women gleamed like the polished marble around them, their appearances unmistakably sculpted by the hands of modern cosmetic science. They’re not the only examples of a certain pinched look among the upper echelons of America’s right wing. In fact, the plastic surgery trend has become so prevalent that it has earned a nickname: Mar-a-Lago face.
The media is directly mocking the physical appearances of Melania Trump and Kristi Noem…
yet tried to convince us that Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Kamala Harris were supermodels! (I love the 2023 article from 2023: “
Exclusive: Plastic surgeon explains why Jill Biden looks so amazing age 71.”)
But that’s what they’re throwing at the wall.
Now, they’re waiting to see if it’ll stick.
So, beginning Monday, late-night comics like Jimmy Kimmel will push this narrative: “Hey, didja hear of a new thing called ‘Mar-a-Lago face? Har, har, har!” And there’ll be follow-up stories about cosplaying Republicans — or snarky comments about plastic surgery, coupled with belittling comments about pro-Trump women.
Since they love to echo each other, it’ll probably be framed as a pro-feminist stance, too. I’m guessing they’ll somehow try to connect plastic surgery to the Patriarchy — that exposing this “scandal” is actually liberating to women.
(It’s not, of course. It’s meanness for its own sake — misogyny masked as feminism.)