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Pillow Face / Chipmunk Cheeks
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About
Pillow Face, also known as Chipmunk Cheeks, is a slang term for common side effects of plastic or cosmetic surgery in which the face is over-injected with dermal fillers. The pillow face syndrome generally occurs when the face is overfilled and creates a puffy look, similar to a chipmunk's cheek when carrying lots of food. The expression "pillow face" was coined as early as 2009 by tabloids and was popularized as an internet topic over the following years, especially under the gaze of celebrities and influencers' faces who appear to have the "pillow face" due to an excess of facial cosmetic procedures.
Origin
The earliest known mention of the "pillow face" was posted by the tabloid Daily Mail[1] on April 29th, 2009, in an article titled "Rise of the Pillow Face: The new look which gives away celebs who have had plastic surgery to try and recapture their youth." In the article, journalist Maysa Rawi suggests notable examples of celebrities that "may have had fat implants in their cheeks, causing the pillow face effect."
On December 27th, 2011, Urban Dictionary[5] user Shelley Rogers added the term to the site (though different variations predate the filler-related meaning on the website), which defined it as, "A woman who has had so much filler injected into her face that it begins to resemble a pillow. They do this because they think that full lips and cheeks make them look younger, but in reality they look like bloated alcoholics." The definition received over 70 likes in 13 years.
On March 12th, 2012, YouTuber[2] Wayne Goss posted a video listing a few celebrities with "pillow face" features (seen below), which amassed over 880,000 views and 18,000 likes in 12 years.
Spread
The slang expression was slowly popularized on the internet in the following years, particularly in 2019 as netizens started to post memes and jokes related to celebrities with facial features similar to the pillow face and chipmunk cheeks.
For instance, on July 24th, 2019, Facebook[3] user DrHallPlasticSurgery posted an illustration showing the levels of the pillow face syndrome (seen below), which amassed roughly 70 likes and 10 comments in five years.
On August 5th, 2024, TikTok[4] user @rochel_leah_ posted a video commenting on the pillow face syndrome (seen below), which garnered over 12 million plays and 1 million likes in three months.
@rochel_leah_ Pillowface is a warning sign
Various Examples
@kimchicooch #pillowfacefilter ♬ original sound – alanis (솔미)
@realfacedoc This is an example for how you can lose your natural look by overfilling and overtaxing your face. Most of my patients fall into the trap because they wanna avoid surgery to rejuvenate and fall into the trap of Nonsurgical gimmicks. As a surgeon I do use non-surgical methods, but only in moderation and for the right person. I never try to achieve the unachievable.#greenscreen #filler #pillowface ##pumpkinface##botox##botched##plasticsurgery##pdothreadlift ♬ original sound – Dr. Daria Hamrah
Search Interest
External References
[1] Daily Mail – Rise of the Pillow Face: The new look which gives away celebs who have had plastic surgery to try and recapture their youth
[2] YouTube – SHOCKING!!!! CELEBRITY PILLOW FACE!!!!
[3] Facebook – DrHallPlasticSurgery
[4] TikTok – rochel_leah_
[5] Urban Dictionary – Pillow Face
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