(NewsNation) — The times, as they say, they are a changing.

For years America has muddled its way through an innumerable amount of pronouns and confusion over sexual identity as elites strove to push the boundaries on what it means to be a man, woman, or “they.”  Terms like “trad wife,” “cismale/cisfemale” and “alpha male” became not just daily words introduced to a confused society, but slurs, intimating that whoever identified as the aforementioned, was a backward troglodyte who wanted everyone to transport back to the 1950s.

But all that is ending; the era of “Manly is the new black” has begun.

Earlier this week, on the same day Meta ditched its DEI programs, the CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, went on the “Joe Rogan Experience” to praise the benefits of “masculine energy” and called corporate America “culturally neutered.” 

This from the man whom, up until recently, no one would have considered to be the manliest of men, even when he started martial arts training and posting pics of himself giving beatdowns on social media. 

But is it a surprise that the archetype nerd is now cultivating an uber-macho persona?

Facial masculinity surgery on the rise: Beverly Hills plastic surgeon

According to Beverly Hills plastic surgeons — the ones who see trends on the ground, in real life — say no and that he’s not alone — pointing to the rise of Facial Masculinity Surgery (FMS) as proof.

“The (physical) focus now (for men) is on structure and chiseling,” Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon Arash Moradzadeh, who runs AM Facial Plastics said.  “Men want to look more manly now. It’s much easier and culturally more acceptable for men to get surgery to achieve the look they desire. And the male aesthetic (now) is to be more masculine. No puffy cheeks or inflated cheeks. We want definition.”

Since the onset of the #MeToo movement, the macho man has been snubbed in everything but action movies. Instead, the trends were devoted to “soft boys” — young, skinny, clean-shaven, gentle and “emotionally intelligent” men like Harry Styles, Cole Sprouser, Luka Shabbat and the most popular of them all, Timothee Chalamet. Men who would sometimes wear dresses, put their heart on their sleeves and often look like they’d ask you to pay half of the dinner bill. Movies like “Call Me by Your Name” starring Chalamet, “Close” and tv shows like “Riverdale” were lauded and reproduced… until the rise of “Yellowstone.”

And the election of Donald Trump. 

And even Taylor Swift’s well-publicized romance with Travis Kelce. 

Suddenly, the Hollywood jawline (and soon after, the American male jawline) started becoming cleaner, firmer… more masculine as the Manly Movement took hold.

Stars like John Mullaney, Chris Rock and Bad Bunny started walking around with lantern jaws straight out of “American Dad’ and regular people (not on-screen actors) started calling their surgeons. 

Another Beverly Hills surgeon, Dr. Gregory Mueller, who counts Arianna Maddix as one of his clients, said: “There’s definitely a shift in the paradigm — to where people want men to be (and look like) men and women to be women. They want to accentuate features and characteristics that are more masculine or more feminine. Larger noses are more masculine. Men want to be MEN again and to define that.”

And it’s not just Hollywood looking to get manlier — it’s across America.

The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), the world’s largest association of facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons, revealed in its member survey outcomes that ​​44 percent of AAFPRS surgeons expect more men to have treatments and surgeries in the coming years (up 5 percent from 2022) and noted they are seeing more young men under age 35 seeking surgical and non-surgical enhancements. 

“As minimally invasive technology continues to advance, this opens the door for more men to get discreet, quick-to-heal cosmetic treatments,”  past AAFPRS President Elect Dr. Sherard Tatum said. “The rise of minimally invasive options seems to be slowly closing the gender gap when it comes to facial plastic surgery.”

And it will cost you. Both doctors said FMS can run from $1,000 — for simple injectables — to over $300,000 if the patient wants permanent chin and jaw implants as well as a deep plane facelift. Male celebrities are already shelling out $250,000 for a regular facelift — implants not included.

Shift in beauty standards

But what caused this shift from soft to solid?

Dr. Moradzadeh said: “I think a lot of people are being influenced by current cultural trends on TV and movies emphasizing the rugged man (like ‘Yellowstone’).”

Note the rise of Hollywood’s hottest bachelor, Kevin Costner, and the resurgence of “Cowboy Core” in fashion and television shows as well as movies.

Dr. Mueller, whose clientele is at least 50% male and says he has seen a dramatic increase of male patients requesting FMS, concurred, adding: “A great example is the popularity of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. He is the epitome of masculine and she is very feminine. They are the most popular couple in the world and people follow trends — masculine and feminine. It’s like the Marlboro man. That’s what we’re going back to … The pendulum is swinging that way.”

Another Hollywood insider said, “It really began in earnest with ‘Yellowstone’ and then the re-election of Donald Trump, who is surrounding himself with manly men — and Trump has always had stereotypically female women around him. But even things as horrific as the LA Fires — the firemen are manly. They are the saviors. Already people are talking about movies and shows about these guys. They’re heroes.”

And everybody wants to be a hero…or at least look like one

Paula Froelich is an award-winning journalist, columnist and senior story editor for NewsNation. You can follow her on Instagram at @pfro. Subscribe to her newsletter “The Scoop” for the latest on everything from political swamp maneuvering in DC and Hollywood to jaw-dropping small-town shenanigans.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.