‘Are those lip filler marks?’ Vanity Fair extreme close-up of Karoline Leavitt sparks online speculation

A Vanity Fair profile that was already drawing heavy traffic has spilled over into a second, unexpected flashpoint, Instagram. While the article itself is becoming a hot topic of conversation, the reaction to its promotional post has been just as intense, with readers fixating on a single extreme close-up of Karoline Leavitt.



The image, posted to Vanity Fair’s official Instagram page, shows Leavitt’s face in such sharp detail that pores are visible and marks around her lips appear unusually pronounced. Within hours, comment sections and reposts were filled with speculation, with some users asking bluntly: “Are those lip filler marks?”





Another wrote, "That first pic was strategic I just know it."



A third said, "These close ups are great. Seems intentionally comical, like their subjects. Nice work, VF!"



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The image critics say was “meant to prove a point”

Several netizens claimed the extreme close-up was not accidental, suggesting the editorial choice was designed to underscore Vanity Fair’s tone toward the Trump administration’s inner circle. The article refers to Leavitt as the “mouthpiece,” a label that many readers believe was visually reinforced by the image selection.



The accompanying description pulls no punches:



“The combative WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY fields questions from the press corps with all the subtlety of a rottweiler. Wiles calls her a ‘scary good’ communicator, right up there with New York mayor elect Zohran Mamdani. ‘The President doesn't give a crap if you're a man or a woman,’ Leavitt says. ‘He just wants you to be good at your job.’ How's she faring in the onslaught of questions about the Epstein files after Trump's about-face? ‘it's pretty clear he wants us to be aggressively offensive when it comes to this issue.’”



From there, the piece expands into what it describes as a series of “diabolical close ups” of Donald Trump’s A team, amplifying scrutiny not just of political messaging, but of appearance.

The ‘Mar-a-Lago face’ conversation resurfaces

The article and its visuals have reignited a familiar online conversation about aesthetics within the Trump administration, particularly among women in senior roles. Critics pointed to what has often been described as a “Mar-a-Lago face,” an alleged shared cosmetic look associated with Trump’s orbit.



The aesthetic is marked by bee-sting puffy lips, frozen brows, taut necks and a high-gloss finish that reads as both expensive and aggressively controlled. Faces appear smoothed, tightened, preserved against age and spontaneity alike, as if emotion itself has been carefully edited out.



The woman whose name have been associated with such style includes, Kristi Noem, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Laura Loomer and Matt Gaetz.

Trump’s comments about Leavitt’s lips resurface

The image also bought back, Trump's obsession with Leavitt's lips. Just recently, at a ennsylvania rally, the 79-year-old president veered off his prepared remarks while praising his press secretary.



“We even brought our superstar today, Karoline. Isn't she great? Is Karoline great?” he asked a cheering crowd.



He then focused on her appearance and television presence.



“You know, when she goes on television, Fox, like, I mean, they dominate, they dominate ...When she gets up there with that beautiful face and those lips that don't stop-op-op-op, like a little machine gun,” Trump said, making bizarre sound effects.



Trump had made similar remarks during an August interview with Newsmax.



“It's that face. It's that brain. It's those lips, the way they move. They move like she's a machine gun,” the commander-in-chief had said about Leavitt at the time.



“I don't think anybody has ever had a better press secretary than Karoline,” he added.