Kim Kardashian has once again sparked a debate, this time with her newest SKIMS offering—a mask that purports to define your jawline as you sleep. This product has stirred discussions among medical experts, Reddit users, and even Sir Anthony Hopkins himself. Let's delve into the details.
In case you missed it, the reality TV mogul unveiled the product on her website this week, claiming it will sculpt and shape wearers' faces overnight using “collagen yarns for ultra-soft jaw support,” as stated in the SKIMS announcement post.
“The innovation never ends,” reads the caption accompanying the face wrap—priced at $88 AUD and already sold out in both colors—while another highlights its “signature sculpting” and “velcro closures at the top and nape of the neck for easy, everyday use.”
On her Instagram Stories (via Daily Mail), Kardashian elaborated on the face wrap's purpose beyond just startling your partner when they return home.
“It’s just this amazing jaw support … It just snatches your little chinny chin chin,” she explained.
While the promotion uses terms like sculpting, snatching, and contouring, the actual purpose of these face wraps remains unclear, with doctors urging caution regarding products like mouth tape and chin straps.
Given Kardashian’s knack for stirring controversy—as she famously lost a pair of diamond earrings in the ocean—this business venture has generated significant discussion, with many accusing her of perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards.
Social media users accused Kardashian of “profiting off” insecurities
“She’s always at the forefront of identifying new things for women to be insecure about and profiting off them,” one user commented on Reddit, with another querying “why the hell does everything about a woman need to be ‘fixed’ holy hell.”
Elsewhere, Instagram users labeled the face wrap as “excessive” for “raising beauty standards,” or noted that the product merely serves to “make women feel insecure.”
Kardashian's career is filled with similar incidents—from promoting appetite suppressant lollipops to backlash over her whole-body foundation and constant image Photoshopping, including for SKIMS promotions.
However, it’s not just online commentators who have questioned this latest business endeavor.
Doctors raised questions over the benefits of the face wrap
Since the face wrap mimics the compression bandages worn post-facelift, seemingly offering wearers a taste of surgical cosplay, medical professionals soon joined the debate.
“In terms of function, I really can’t see any skin benefits from collagen yarns sitting on top of the skin,” cosmetic practitioner Dr. Naomi McCullum told Elle.
“You can’t get a slimmer jawline with simple compression.”
McCullum noted that while face wraps help reduce post-surgery facial swelling, they “don’t affect superficial puffiness,” meaning they have “no impact” on actual sculpting, slimming, or contouring, contrary to marketing claims.
Hannibal Lecter has entered the chat
As the saying goes, it’s not really a controversy until Anthony Hopkins weighs in. Okay, perhaps not a real saying, but the actor did comment on Kardashian’s new product by likening it to the iconic mask he donned while playing Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs.
“Thank you, Kim. Don’t be afraid to come over for dinner,” the actor wrote while sharing an Instagram clip of himself wearing a face wrap. “I’m already feeling ten years younger. Goodbye.”
Kardashian later reposted Hopkins’ video with the caption “I’m screaming,” though it remains unclear if it was out of fear or excitement.
With Hopkins having spoken, it’s now your choice whether to spend 88 bucks on a product whose benefits are, at best, uncertain and, at worst, insecurity-inducing.
Alternatively, consider adding it to your Halloween cart along with some fake blood and a Jodie Foster wig for the ultimate couples costume.
Lead images: Instagram
