Kristi Noem's Family Photo Op Proved How Much Plastic Surgery Changed Her Face

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is once again making it glaringly obvious that she has gone through a head-turning transformation via plastic surgery. Although Noem has never publicly confirmed ever going under the knife, a new photo starkly suggests that she has. Posing with her sister, Cindy, in a pic posted on Instagram in August 2025, Noem couldn't have looked less related to her sibling. "I've always wanted to be her," the former Governor of South Dakota ironically penned in her caption.

Noem's taut visage radically contrasted with her sister's natural features, emphasizing the Republican politician's potential use of Botox and other injectables. Noem's bronzed skin was much darker than Cindy's, suggesting that she frequents the spray tan salon. Plus, she accidentally exposed her perfectly manicured — and frankly, obvious — hair extensions as she stood next to her sister, who rocked a natural, short lob. The striking physical dissimilarities between Kristi and Cindy had us missing her pre-plastic surgery face, but we weren't alone. "Maybe, at one time, you used to resemble each other ... " one Instagram user wrote in the comments. "Cindy still has her original face," said another.

While her MAGA makeover of cosmetic alterations takes up more space on the internet than her work in the DHS headquarters, Kristi Noem continues to challenge the discourse around her appearance. Speaking about the time she was brutally mocked for her Botox in a "South Park" episode, she told Glenn Beck on "The Glenn Beck Program" that "it's so lazy to constantly make fun of women for how they look." She added, "If they want to criticize my job, go ahead and do that, but clearly they can't; they just pick something petty like that." The popular cartoon comedy series depicted Noem as an inflated-faced puppy killer, whose skin gradually melted as the scene continued, suggesting she went overboard with the injectables.

Her so-called "Mar-a-Lago face" has been repeatedly dissected by netizens, but even experts can't help but dive into the theories. Plastic surgeon Joel Kopelman gave Glam an in-depth analysis of Noem's face, saying, "... She's likely had Botox for smoother skin, particularly around the forehead and eyes, and dermal fillers in her cheeks and lips to restore volume." He even surmised that she underwent a facelift, based on the tightness of her jaw and eyes. Noem looks like she's part of a plastic surgery club with women like Laura Loomer, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Lara Trump, and a little nip and tuck is a rite of passage for Trump's inner circle. 

Static Media owns and operates The List and Glam.