Karoline Leavitt Lip Filler Speculation: Vanity Fair Photo Fuels “Mar-a-Lago Face” Rum

One such individual is Karoline Leavitt, the 28-year-old press secretary at the White House. Recently, Karoline has been thrust into the limelight, not for her political ideology, but rather because of her appearance. The close-up portrait taken by Vanity Fair is highlighted by the alleged appearance of lip fillers.

The photo shoot by Vanity Fair, conducted by photographer Christopher Anderson, clearly showed the lips of Leavitt. Beauty experts and online users were quick to notice that there were signs of injections of cosmetic materials along the edge of the upper lips of Leavitt, suggesting that she might have gone for plastic surgeries. Though some people suspected that the signs were emphasized by the photograph, others suggested that the angle and lighting might have contributed.

"The lip gloss, if intended to cover up marks, actually emphasized them, creating a ‘highlighter effect’ that drew attention to them," said Escobar, a senior editor for The Daily Beast beauty and wellness site. "Bruising and swelling, particularly if lip fillers were done recently, might take some time to resolve," Escobar added. "Maybe it was a recent treatment, maybe she is a slow healer," he said.

The response from the public was quick. On social media, users reacted to the image with a mix of amusement and curiosity. "The injection marks from the lip filler," one person wrote, with a laugh emoticon, while another wrote, "Why would they use a picture like that?" Some speculated that the reason for using such a picture might have been deliberate, with the aim of garnering attention through the image.

Leavitt is certainly not the first high-profile individual who has been associated with beauty trends in D.C. In recent years, board-certified plastic surgeons have noticed a rise in patients seeking the “Mar-a-Lago face.” This would involve full lips, a smooth and tight face, overfilled cheeks, and prominent makeup. Several supporters of President Trump, such as Matt Gaetz and Laura Loomer, have been recognized as taking up this appearance, with Leavitt being part of this trend relatively early on.

One expert, Dr. Jennifer Harrington, who is a plastic surgeon and professor of the University of Minnesota, observed the transformation of Leavitt in an interview with Fox news, speculating the possibility of filler injections in her lips, estimated to be around 0.5 to 1mL of fillers per lip. The augmentation, in her assessment, was not obvious, giving her lips “a natural-looking boost.” Cosmetic procedures, particularly fillers, are much better done three months preceding a major photo shoot or occasion to give the effects time to settle down, suggested Dr. Dara Liotta.

There is growing public interest in Leavitt’s appearance that in part has been stoked by President Donald Trump himself. Recently, speaking in Pennsylvania, Trump interrupted his economic talk in order to comment on Leavitt’s lips, saying with a grin, “They don’t stop like a little machine gun.” It is remarks like these, plus Vanity Fair photo shoot publicity, that have brought further public focus on trends in politics involving beauty.

Political cosmetic enhancements have little to do with vanity and a lot to do with the kind of scrutiny that comes with being a public figure. Every detail on their face and every stylistic element can and often will provide fodder for the media. This kind of scrutiny affects young politicians like Leavitt exponentially because of the kind of power and attention produced by social media platforms.

There are some critics who find that media preoccupation with Leavitt’s looks serves to bring into question her career involvement with the administration’s press secretary office because she deals with communications for the administration. Others find it to be "the way of the world where politics and beauty ‘are intrinsically linked’ and this ‘is especially relevant in the era of high definition photography.’" Despite the speculations, one thing that can be noted is that there is no evidence that Leavitt has done any cosmetic work. This is all written from observations made after reviewing pictures and opinions from experts and some of the speculations that have come up. The topic can also be seen to highlight the effects of trends such as the “Mar-a-Lago face” that are currently affecting Washington D.C. In today's case, however, Leavitt's appearance on *Vanity Fair* has inspired interest and mirth on social media and in the news. Whether or not the lip implants are indeed real, it is interesting to think back to the pressure that public figures are under to project certain images and how tiny cosmetic details are sometimes front-page news.