Rachel Zegler's Jaw Movements While Singing and Posing for Photos Have People Asking Questions

People had a lot to say about the stars who showed up in droves, and in costume, for the 2026 Met Gala. That includes Rachel Zegler, whose specific look and facial expressions had people scratching their heads to figure out why she poses her face in such a way with her jaw jutting out. There are photos and videos on social media showing what people are confused about, with many asking why Rachel Zegler does that thing with her mouth.

Is there even a word for it? According to a snarky Reddit thread about the muscle movement that Rachel does often while being filmed, people joked about why she does it, while others claimed she has done it for a long time, but that it never stops being annoying to watch.

Overall, though, there are questions about why she does it and if she does it intentionally or not.

The thing Rachel does with her face is somewhere between miming a bit of an underbite and pouting her lips. The resulting photos might look great, but seeing her pose her face like that over repeatedly while being filmed on a red carpet is a little strange to watch. That's where the questions have come in.

Unsurprisingly, Rachel has not actually come out to explain why she makes that face when being filmed or photographed, or while singing. It was apparent during the 2025 Snow White movie and even when Rachel filmed the 2023 movie The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

Once upon a time, other celebrities had their own ways to pose their faces, or pout for the cameras. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen once reportedly claimed to say the word "prune" and keep their lips jutted out to end up with a putty face for the paparazzi. This isn't totally different from that.

But, unfortunately for Rachel, she's in the public eye at a time when photos and videos of this jaw movement can be discussed and seen over and over online and IRL.

On the Reddit thread about Rachel's facial expressions and the thing she does with her mouth, people speculated on everything, from unproven drug use to just being a theater kid through and through. It does seem to be an artistic choice that Rachel makes, even if it makes some people a tad bit uncomfortable.

The specific movement of Rachel's jaw had some TikTok users poking fun at her when Snow White came out in 2025. In one video, a clip from the movie clearly shows Rachel making that face while her character is in danger.

Someone else posted a video saying that Rachel also over-pronounces her words in a dramatic way, which goes back to the whole theater kid theory. But for now, Rachel has not explained why she does it, or if she even realizes she's doing it in the moment.