Youd never peg John Mew as an influencer.
Hes a 95-year-old orthodontist who lives in a castle, complete with a moat, in Sussex, England.
Hi, Im John Mew, the orthodontist said in aninaugural videothats racked up 4.6 million views.
John MewGif: TikTok
Mew sits with his thin frame dwarfed by a preppy sweater and a houndstooth jacket.
He speaks in a refined English accent, his words halting but deliberate.
His theory of orthotropics goes beyond the teeth, however.
Mew argues that the before and after photos of his patients are proof that you can fix dental and facial problems with his techniques.Graphic: Courtesty of John Mew
But Mew doesnt just identify a problem, he offers a solution.
According to Mew, braces are a scam that makes these problems worse.
Instead, his treatments include palate expanders, dietary changes, and mewing, his namesake technique.
This, Mew argues, is the path to a beautiful face.
Of course, a slideshow doesnt meet the burden of proof by scientific standards.
To say that his peers reject these ideas is an understatement.
Many orthodontists describe Mews work as both ridiculous and dangerous.
In one video captioned Fame at last, he struggles to his feet and waves to a cheering crowd.
Mews face is narrow, but his jawline, despite his age, is strong.
A troubling fandom
If youve heard of mewing, theres a good chance its because of TikTok.
But mewing has a more ominous history.
Over the last ten years or so, Mew earned fanatical devotees amongincels.
Weak jaws are one of the many faults that incels believe make them hopelessly unattractive.
I didnt even know what the word incel meant.
I dont see how that relates to me, Mew said.
According to Mew, it isnt the incels that are responsible for his fame, its his son.
Today, the younger Mews jaw is undeniably defined, and he dedicated his life to spreading the gospel.
Im not saying Im right.
Im just saying we need to have a scientific debate on why teeth are crooked.
Were treating it symptomatically instead of treating the case.
Reddit offered mewing a doorway to the mainstream.
The topic went viral in the later months of 2023.
Its also the subject of a new Netflix documentary called Open Wide, produced by the tastemaking studio A24.
He just seems like a cheerful old man promoting his ideas and enjoying retirement.
John, do you want to say anything to your TikTok followers?
the cheerful woman filming the video asks.
Ive nothing to say, no.
The unlikely influencer
Youre so inspirational.
Im on a 2 year mewing streak.
Thank you for all you have done, one comment reads.
Some blur the lines between sincerity and satire.
bro invented mewing and created generations of sigmas.
a true mogger through and through.
Others responses are more unnerving.
Thank you for saving my bloodline.
Mews ideas are increasingly popular, but the medical community seems no closer to accepting orthotropics.
One woman reportedly accused John Mew of continuing to treat her child after she withdrew her consent.
Mike Mew said its just a matter of time.
Were doing 100 million hits on TikTok a day, he said.
On TikTok, John Mew cheerfully responds to his followers.
Theres only an occasional hint at the controversy that surrounds him.
I know nothing about TikTok, but they know all about me, John Mew says in one video.
I was born too early for the computer world.
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