Trump's Second Term Triggers Cosmetic Craze Critics Say Resembles 'Maleficent' and the 'Saw' Dummy

A dramatic, highly visible cosmetic craze is sweeping wealthy circles surrounding Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, creating an unprecedented boom in aggressive facelift procedures. The extreme nature of these surgeries has drawn sharp criticism from cosmetic surgeons, who compare the resulting look to villains from horror and fantasy films.

The phenomenon highlights a stark intersection of wealth, politics, and the relentless desire for physical transformation within the president's inner circle.

The Maleficent Aesthetic

The precise aesthetic sought by the Mar-a-Lago crowd is dubbed 'Mar-a-Lago face' and characterised by an intensely smooth, taut, and volumised appearance achieved through aggressive cosmetic procedures. Prominent female figures in Donald Trump's orbit, such as Kimberly Guilfoyle, Kristi Noem, Lara Trump, and Karoline Leavitt, are frequently cited as exemplifying the look due to their high, overfilled cheeks, artificially plump lips, and noticeable lack of fine lines.

Dr Anita Kulkarni, a Washington-based plastic surgeon, said a surge of patients making 'unreasonable requests' to have the Mar-a-Lago face happened after Trump's second term. The results sometimes border on the unnatural, leading to comparisons with fantastical antagonists. The look has been compared to the Disney villain Maleficent, whose highly defined cheekbones and exaggerated facial structure are now being unintentionally mirrored in the clientele's post-operative appearance.

'To my eye, if I put any more in there, you're going to cross over from looking like the best version of yourself to looking like Maleficent,' Kulkarni told RadarOnline.

Furthermore, some results have been likened to Billy the Puppet, the iconic ventriloquist dummy that the Jigsaw killer used from the terrifying Saw horror franchise, because of their fixed and mask-like facial expressions.

Patients Demand the Overdone Look

Experts have also noticed a startling cultural shift among elite social circles, where the cardinal rule of cosmetic surgery—subtlety—is deliberately rejected in favour of a conspicuous, overdone aesthetic. According to Dr Troy Pittman, clients are now 'OK with looking enhanced', a significant departure from the previously covert nature of cosmetic procedures.

Dr Kelly Bolden, Medical Director of Cultura Dermatology & Plastic Surgery, confirmed a generational shift, stating that younger patients in their 20s and 30s are openly requesting an 'artificial look'. Many of these younger clients reportedly are inspired by high-profile Trump political figures such as Karoline Leavitt and Anna Kelly. The requested style, often branded a mask-face aesthetic', is typically achieved through repeated, heavy doses of dermal filler and Botox.

The Surgeons' Struggle

The demand for the Mar-a-Lago face is so high that plastic surgeons in and around West Palm Beach are becoming completely 'overwhelmed' with bookings. The doctors are struggling to keep up with the rush for procedures designed to achieve a dramatically youthful appearance, despite the experts finding their requests unnatural.

'People want this pumped-up, hyper-polished face because they think it signals loyalty to the new power structure. But it's a very unnatural aesthetic, and some people simply are not good candidates,' a DC surgeon told RadaOnline.

Surgeons Warn About Perception Blindness

Surgeons are currently warning patients that the relentless pursuit of more extreme cosmetic enhancement can lead to perception blindness, a psychological condition where individuals lose the ability to accurately recognise how much their facial appearance has changed.

The phenomenon at Mar-a-Lago serves as a potent cultural marker, reflecting how political aspirations and social positioning can drive extreme and sometimes questionable cosmetic decisions. The Maleficent and Billy the Puppet looks, whether intentional or not, has become the unexpected face of the political cosmetic craze.

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