A weirdly cropped photo of Karoline Leavitt from her Vanity Fair Shoot has been going viral on social media for all the wrong reasons. Read to know why.
In December 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt became a viral topic on social media following the release of photos from a Vanity Fair shoot. Her profile photoshoot, featuring high-definition, unfiltered portraits, was taken for an interview with US President, Donald Trump's core team. The images, which were supposed to go viral among the Republicans for positive reasons, sparked controversy and brought in a wave of criticism. The debate centers on an extreme close-up photo of Karoline Leavitt, taken by photographer, Christopher Anderson.
Fans and critics are scrutinising Karoline Leavitt's appearance in a recent Vanity Fair close-up photo, primarily focusing on what they allege are signs of recent cosmetic procedures. The photo, taken by Christopher Anderson, has sparked a viral debate online over its extreme detail. People have questioned the photographer's intentions behind the weirdly cropped shot of Karoline's face. The picture was taken for an interview focused on President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles; however, the one who made the headlines was Karoline.
The most common criticism centered on tiny red marks visible around Karoline's lips. Many social media users have speculated that those were "fresh injection marks" from her recent lip filler procedures. Comments such as "what happened to her lips" and "are those lip filler marks?" flooded social media. Critics have used the photo to discuss what they call the "Mar-a-Lago face," a term for a specific cosmetic enhancement style associated with those in the Trump administration's inner circle. They also made collages of the viral Karoline Leavitt close-up with her previous pictures and compared her lips before and after the Vanity Fair photoshoot.
Following the Vanity Fair article's release, consisting of Karoline Leavitt's viral photo, she issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on December 16, 2025. However, she focused on defending Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, against the "hit piece" rather than commenting on her own physical appearance or the plastic surgery rumours. Hence, there has been no confirmation or rebuttal from Karoline's side regarding any cosmetic procedures on her face. Outlets like The Daily Beast reported reaching out to her representatives for comment on the alleged lip-injection marks, but they did not receive an immediate response.
Besides the social media backlash surrounding Karoline Leavitt's alleged lip filler marks, the photographer and the outlet that clicked and published her photos also came under intense online scrutiny. Some fans argue that Vanity Fair deliberately used unflattering close-ups and harsh lighting to highlight skin imperfections, pores, and rubbed-off makeup (specifically on her nose) to undermine her image. Many observers believe the photo choice was strategically chosen to match the article's description of Karoline Leavitt as a "mouthpiece", visually reinforcing an artificial persona.
Karoline Leavitt is a 28-year-old American government official currently serving as the 36th White House Press Secretary in the second administration of Donald Trump. Appointed in January 2025 at age 27, she is the youngest person in US history to hold this position. On the personal front, Karoline married Nicholas Riccio, a real estate developer 32 years her senior, in January 2025. She gave birth to their son, Nicholas "Niko" Robert Riccio, in July 2024. Karoline famously returned to work within a week of her first child's birth following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
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