If you’ve flipped on a TV lately or walked around certain corners of Washington, you’ve probably spotted it—the sharply sculpted, ultra-sculpted “Mar-a-Lago face.”
Once a South Florida phenomenon, it’s now drifting north and settling right into the nation’s capital. But while the aesthetic is spreading fast, specialists are waving bright red flags.
How a Palm Beach Trend Went National
Long before it reached DC, this distinct style—once nicknamed the “duck look”—was already common across the country.
South Florida, naturally, was the trend’s epicenter.
Around Palm Beach, where Donald Trump’s gilded estate dominates its own slice of coastline, the look has been the unofficial uniform for years.
At this point, many close to the former president—Melania Trump, Kristi Noem, Kimberly Guilfoyle—show off those sharply drawn features: a slimmed nose, dramatic cheekbones, and a jawline so defined it could slice paper.
A Surge of New Requests
Two Washington-area cosmetic experts told the Daily Mail they’ve seen a striking surge in everyday clients—women and even a growing number of men—asking for that exact sculpted face. And they’re not thrilled about it.
What they’re pushing back against is the degree of transformation.
It’s not that fillers or injectables are unsafe, they said.
It’s the dramatic, exaggerated makeover that worries them.
Surgeons Sound the Alarm
Dr. Ayman Hakki of Luxxery Medical Spa described the request with almost clinical precision: “higher forehead, thinner nose, fuller lips, and a squared-off jawline.”
The twist? He thinks the look has now evolved into something even more extreme than the original “duck look.”
Dr. Philip Schoenfeld of Renu Med Spa agreed.
What once centered on overly plumped lips has grown into a full-face reconstruction.
And that, he warned, shifts the procedure from rejuvenation into flat-out transformation.
“When your features start losing their natural proportions,” he explained, “that’s when things cross into dangerous territory.”
Not a Medical Problem—A Psychological One
Both men emphasized that fillers themselves aren’t the culprit.
They’re safe in experienced hands.
What worries them is what happens when someone becomes determined to edit their face until it resembles a filtered photo—or resembles someone else entirely.
Hakki even pulls out a sketchpad when a client’s request goes too far.
Seeing their own features in charcoal, he said, often grounds people back in reality.
Schoenfeld put it more bluntly: if someone asks for permanent alterations that edge them toward a Lauren Sanchez or Michael Jackson level of transformation, he steps in and says no.
The Influence of Trump’s Inner Circle
Interestingly, the trend isn’t confined to Republican clients.
Schoenfeld noted that he’s seeing Democrats ask for the same look.
He thinks the appeal comes from Trump’s obsession with the “central casting” aesthetic—having beautiful people in beautiful places.
“If you want to fit in with that world,” he said, “you assume you should look like them.” And everyday people are following suit.
Many are specifically aiming for Melania’s signature style.
A few years ago, Hakki said, her bold features weren’t universally considered the gold standard.
Now clients practically treat her as a template.
Makeup Artists Feel the Shift Too
It’s not just surgeons noticing the trend. Erwin Gomez of Karma Beauty Lounge in Georgetown said women across DC are now walking in asking for Melania’s smoky eyes, plump lips, and dramatic cheekbones—no needles required.
Gomez also said both political camps dabble in heavy bronzing, but Republican-leaning clients tend to go all-in, seemingly inspired by Trump’s own saturated glow.
“And of course,” he laughed, “almost everyone is frozen from Botox.”
A Trend Still Picking Up Speed
With more people chasing this sculpted, camera-ready face—whether by scalpel, syringe, or bronzer—experts expect the trend to keep growing.
But they hope the warnings stick: it’s one thing to enhance what you’ve got, and another to chase an illusion.
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