When a high-profile photo drops and the internet collectively leans in close enough to count pores, you know something’s about to go down.
That’s exactly what happened when Vanity Fair published a story on the Trump administration featuring a shot of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on its social mediia. At 28, she’s the youngest person to ever hold the job, and folks have been side-eyeing her transformation for a minute now, comparing old pics to new ones like they’re playing spot-the-difference. But this particular image?
Like many flicks before, this image had people zooming in like forensic investigators.
The photo caught Leavitt in a close-up picture that left no room for speculation, showing every crease, blemish, and puncture mark. While many looked at her blues eyes and perfectly shaped eyebrows, it was her lips that stole the show, and not in a good way.
They looked glossy and prominent, sure, but scattered across them were these tiny red dots that had the timeline going absolutely wild. People who’d been quietly watching her glow-up suddenly had what they considered hard evidence, and the whispers turned into receipts real quick.
Social media did what social media does best and went all the way in when Vanity Fair posted on its Instagram.
“Zoom in on the lips and it’s over,” one person declared.
Another got straight to the point: “Are those injection prick marks?”
Someone else confirmed what everyone was thinking: “The red dots on the lips are injection pricks.”
Another person simply replied, “Savage! Fresh red dots.”
The photographer caught heat too, or maybe praise, depending on who you ask.
“This photographer understood the assignment… Get them a Pulitzer Prize for making sure we see every last bloody lip injection entry point. Trump is the only that keeps bringing up her lips, so this was just top tier photo journalism,” one user wrote.
The reactions ranged from petty to poetic, with someone asking, “Who’s more petty: 50 Cent or Vanity Fair with this first frame?” while another simply said, “These angles are shady and I’m here for it.”
The chatter has been getting louder after Donald Trump himself gave his thoughts about how pretty she is during a Pennsylvania rally on Dec. 9.
He brought back an old favorite quip about enjoying her on TV with “that beautiful face and those lips that don’t stop like (bop bop bop) a little machine gun.”
Whether he meant it as a compliment or not, people took it as confirmation that something had definitely changed. Comparing a 2017 photo of Leavitt to recent ones tells a whole story: thinner lips then, fuller now. Lighter, thinner eyebrows then, darker and more defined now. Wider nose then, narrower now. The transformation earned her the nickname “MAGA Barbie” from observers who think the makeover is part of something bigger.
Karoline Leavitt before and after plastic surgery. she… she cut half her face off!
she’s only 27. that’s a shame. pic.twitter.com/S4NyX2poZ4
— abbatoir blues (@faintghostglow) April 2, 2025
Dr. Raffi Hovsepian, a board-certified plastic surgeon, gave RadarOnline his professional take based solely on photos, as he’s never actually treated her.
He called it a “classic college-to-camera evolution” and suggested she might’ve gotten subtle lip work, some Botox, veneers, skin treatments, and cheek contouring.
His verdict? “Subtle filler, micro-Botox, and disciplined skin care enhance her features while keeping the look youthful and natural.”
That look has a name now: “Mar-a-Lago face.”
Plastic surgeon Matthew J. Nykiel broke down the aesthetic, which apparently takes cues from Ivanka Trump. Think overfilled cheeks, plump lips, perfectly arched brows, blindingly white teeth, and a narrow nose, all achieved through facials, lasers, Botox, and fillers.
Leavitt’s not alone in this lane either. Kristi Noem and Lara Trump have both been tagged as members of the club.
While Leavitt keeps doing her job fielding questions from the press corps, that one Vanity Fair photo has done more to settle or stir up debate than years of speculation ever could. For folks who’ve been watching her transformation, those little red dots were the smoking gun they’d been waiting for.
Great Job Nicole Duncan-Smith & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star Source link for sharing this story.
