What Are Angel & Witch Skulls on TikTok? Plus, Why They're Problematic

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Learn more about the latest looksmaxxing beauty trend

Co-authored by Julia Deshkova and Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: September 24, 2025 Fact Checked

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What are angel and witch skulls?

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Angel vs. Witch Skull

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Is the theory scientific?

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Why is it popular?

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Lately, TikTok users have been talking about certain people having “angel skulls” while others have “witch skulls.” What does it mean? What new and confusing beauty standards is social media dreaming up this time? We’ll explain the whole thing, from what the terms mean, what the difference between them is, plus the trend’s surprising roots in Nazi Germany.

Angel Skull Meaning on TikTok

“Angel skulls” are, according to TikTok, skulls that have “attractive” shapes and features, like those that are slim, petite, and have high cheekbones. “Witch skulls,” which are considered ugly, are larger and have bigger features. The trend is based on pseudoscience and has roots in eugenics.

Section 1 of 4:

What are angel and witch skulls?

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Angel and witch skulls are beauty trends that describe certain head shapes. The trend started in 2023, when TikTok users began describing certain skull shapes as “angel-like” or “witch-like.” According to the users, “angel skulls” are more attractive and aesthetically beautiful, while “witch skulls” are less beautiful, and may even signify negative personality traits.^{[1]
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- The trend is part of the bigger “looksmaxxing” trend, where people try to “max out” their looks and personality by any means possible in order to be more attractive.
- Angel and witch skulls is a trend among young women and girls specifically, and among “femcels,” some of whom are women who feel they don’t meet the standards of the dating world.

Section 2 of 4:

Angel Skulls vs. Witch Skulls

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Angel Skulls Angel skulls are seen as the ideal skull type, according to the looksmaxxing trend. Someone with an angel skull has a slender, symmetrical face with high cheekbones. They have a straight, petite nose and a sharper, more elegant chin.^{[2]
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- Angel skulls often have traits that have nothing to do with the skull itself (another sign it’s all fake), like petite ears and small noses—parts of your face that aren’t built into the bone of the skull.
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Witch Skulls According to the trend, someone with a “witch skull” has asymmetrical facial features, a heavy brow, a prominent nose, a heavy or squared jawline with a large or recessed chin, and skin blemishes that make them “less attractive” than someone with an angel skull.
- Witch skulls also have negative canthal tilt, which is another pseudoscience looksmaxxing term for when the eyes slope down away from the nose.

Section 3 of 4:

Are angel and witch skulls real?

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No, the theory has no scientific evidence. Skulls, like the people they belong to, come in all shapes and sizes. Sure, the shape of your skull broadly influences your outside looks, but not as much as you think. While some people have taken to categorizing skulls, the truth is that there’s no clear or meaningful distinction between your skull and any other person’s, aside from a few millimeters of bone here and there. What’s more, the shape of your skull doesn’t define your personality or attributes.^{[3]
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- That said, it’s true that every society has a set of beauty standards, and the angel and witch skull trend is based on Western, American, white beauty standards.
- “Angel skulls” and “witch skulls” aren’t based on archaeological evidence, fossils, or any kind of history. It’s all vibes.
- “I encounter a wide variety of faces,” says personal stylist Julia Deshkova, “and I cannot say that there is a single, most common type.”^{[4]
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The trend is based on phrenology, a Nazi-related pseudoscience. The idea that the shape of your skull influences who you are as a person, both in appearance and personality, is nothing new, and people have been doing it for years. Maybe the most noteworthy people to ever do it were the Nazis, who called the practice “phrenology.” They used it to try to prove that Aryan (white, blue-eyed people) were “superior” to other races.^{[5]
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Research source} The angel and witch skull trend is just a repacked version of phrenology for a modern age.
- Notice how basically all the traits of an “angel” skull are strikingly white: thin noses, slender faces, subtle brow lines, etc. Meanwhile, the “witch” skull embodies traits of other ethnicities, like large noses, round faces, and more pronounced brows.
- While people who participate in the trend may not realize it’s racist, it is, unfortunately, quite racist.

Section 4 of 4:

Why is the angel skull trend popular?

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The trend gives people an easy (but flawed) way to see if they’re “attractive.” Notice the quotes around “attractive.” Like with looksmaxxing, the trend is popular with people who are concerned about looking attractive. Often, people like this are convinced that beauty is something in your DNA or genes, and if you’re not born with it, you must physically change yourself. Angel and witch skulls are more of the same, suggesting that if you have a checklist of features, it automatically makes you beautiful.
- Meanwhile, if you don’t have those features, looksmaxxers will say you need to work or spend money to change yourself if you want to be attractive, when that’s not true at all.
- Remember: beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone has different tastes, and even if you worry you’re not conventionally attractive, many people out there will find you beautiful and worthwhile for who you are.