Karoline Leavitt, the 28-year-old White House press secretary, is facing renewed speculation about cosmetic procedures following a striking close-up from her recent Vanity Fair shoot.
Leavitt, featured in the magazine’s in-depth profile of Donald Trump’s inner circle and dubbed “The Mouthpiece,” drew more attention for her appearance than her politics. Critics on social media highlighted what appeared to be visible marks along the vermilion border of her lips, sparking conversations about potential lip fillers.
The tightly cropped photograph, captured by Christopher Anderson, quickly went viral online. Some commentators joked that Leavitt might be undergoing a “full Mar-a-Lago makeover,” while others expressed surprise at the apparent marks.
“It’s surprising to see somebody’s face have those sort of dark marks,” said Sam Escobar, senior editor at The Daily Beast’s beauty, health, and wellness site, The Looker. Escobar suggested that styling choices, including the gloss applied to Leavitt’s lips, may have inadvertently emphasized the marks rather than concealing them.
Social media reactions were swift and varied. One user wrote, “Are those… the lip filler injection sites!? Jesus, Vanity Fair went nuclear on Karoline Leavitt lmao.” Another questioned the editorial decision, asking, “Why would they use a pic like this?” While some expressed disbelief at Leavitt’s age, others speculated that the photo may have been deliberately unflattering.
Leavitt’s lips have been in the spotlight before. In December, former President Donald Trump publicly complimented her appearance while discussing economic achievements in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. “We even brought our superstar today, Karoline,” Trump said. “Isn’t she great? Is Karoline great?” He added, “You know, when she goes on television… they dominate. When she gets up there with that beautiful face and those lips… like a little machine gun.”
Trump had previously praised Leavitt’s features in August during an interview with Newsmax, noting, “It’s that face. It’s that brain. It’s those lips, the way they move. They move like she’s a machine gun… She’s a great person, actually. I don’t think anybody has ever had a better press secretary than Karoline.”
The Vanity Fair close-up has reignited public fascination with Leavitt’s appearance, highlighting how social media continues to dissect the images of public figures, often overshadowing the political narratives they represent.
