Mewing

John Mew's ideas

The name comes from John Mew and his son Mike Mew. John Mew developed an approach called orthotropics, focused on facial growth, oral posture, breathing and function. His association also presents treatments with devices for growing patients: this context is broader than the simple placement of the tongue now called mewing on the Internet.

A method turns into daily advice

Mike Mew's broadcast and online content have made these ideas accessible to an audience primarily looking to improve their jawline. An instruction that is easy to explain, free and achievable on a daily basis has a strong dissemination power. The word mewing thus ended up designating a personal practice, often detached from the clinical context of growth and treatment from which it came.

The appeal of facial transformations

Before-and-after comparisons played an important role in this popularization. They can give the impression of a bone transformation while several factors evolve together: age, fat mass, head posture, expression or angle of photography. The visible result can be real in an image, without attributing the change to the posture of the tongue alone.

Popularity that elicits a professional response

A medical article from 2019 already discussed mewing as an alternative presented on the networks to jaw surgery. Orthodontist associations have since published position statements on the promises posted online. Their objection relates in particular to the absence of proof of facial transformation by this practice alone; it does not eliminate the clinical interest in studying the functions and postures of the mouth.