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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteKaroline Leavitt shared behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram on December 17, 2025, before a live interview outside the White House. The post came a day after Vanity Fair published a White House portrait portfolio that drew online attention to marks visible on the press secretary’s upper lip. The coverage did not establish what caused those marks.
What happened, and when
Vanity Fair published the first installment of Chris Whipple’s feature on White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and President Donald Trump’s second term on December 16, 2025. The magazine credited Christopher Anderson with the photography and described the portraits as an “unflinching, up-close look at power—and peril.” (Vanity Fair)
The next day, Leavitt shared behind-the-scenes photos taken before a live interview outside the White House, according to Global News. The timing places her post after the magazine feature, but the reporting does not establish that she posted the photos in response to the portrait or its reception.
Why the Vanity Fair close-up became a talking point
Viewers focused on marks visible on Leavitt’s upper lip in Anderson’s close-up portrait. Some interpreted them as possible injection sites or marks consistent with lip filler. That was speculation based on an image: the cited reporting does not confirm that Leavitt had lip filler or any other cosmetic procedure, nor does it verify the marks’ cause.
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The Independent reported that Anderson and his team photographed administration officials at the White House on November 13, 2025. Anderson used a medium-format camera and specific lighting. He told the publication, “Very close-up portraiture has been a fixture in a lot of my work over the years,” and added, “I like the idea of penetrating the theater of politics.” (The Independent)
Anderson’s explanation of his approach
Anderson described his goal to Global News this way: “My objective, when photographing the political world, is to make photographs that cut through the staged-managed image to reveal something more real and for the images to honestly portray the encounter that I had at the moment.” He also said he chooses not to “retouch blemishes, injection marks, wrinkles, etc.” (Global News)
Those statements explain the photographer’s stated practice; they do not independently establish why any mark appears in a particular photograph or prove his intent in making that portrait. The available reporting supports a distinction between the images’ settings and purposes: Leavitt’s post documented the lead-up to an interview, while Anderson’s work was a close-up political portrait portfolio for a magazine feature.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the early engagement figure means
The Independent reported that the Vanity Fair Instagram portrait had more than 20,000 views and 2,000 comments in roughly eight hours. That is an early snapshot reported in December 2025, not a current or cumulative engagement count. (The Independent)
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