Mewing comes from the tongue-posture technique promoted by British orthodontists John and Mike Mew, which exploded as a looksmaxxing meme on TikTok in the early 2020s. Teens began filming themselves holding the pose with exaggeratedly serious expressions, and a short dramatic beat became the standard soundtrack for the bit. The pairing spread through edits, duets and parodies, turning mewing from a jawline claim into a visual punchline. The music now works as instant shorthand online, signalling that someone is posing, mogging or pretending to be intensely focused.