Ah yes, can you feel it in the air? The closing of brat summer into demure and cutesy fall. TikTok has once again pulled a term from the depths of its digital trends and thrust it into the mainstream spotlight. This time, the buzzword in question is “demure”—a term historically used to describe a reserved and modest demeanor. It almost feels like the clean girl aesthetic girlies are trying to clap back at brat for taking their summer.
Notice how now that the days are getting shorter, your hemlines are getting longer? That’s very demure, very mindful of you. Staying in instead of club-hopping every weekend? Absolutely demure, very cutesy, very ladylike.
The trend began on Aug. 2, when TikTok creator Jools Lebron shared a video on managing makeup and mustache sweat while embodying the essence of “demure.” Later that day, her video on how to be demure at work, featuring advice on perfume, clothing, and hairstyle, went viral, amassing four million views. Since then, Lebron has posted numerous videos on how to be “very demure, very mindful’ in various settings—from nail salons to drag shows.
After the video took off, Lebron leant into the joke, making being “demure” her whole schtick. There are videos of her thanking her hotel staff demurely, queuing for a plane demurely, exiting a plane demurely and “doing her midnight munchies” very demurely, very mindfully.
Lebron, a trans creator, has not only capitalized on the trend but also witnessed a meteoric rise in her career. With over 1.6 million followers, she’s collaborated with brands like Dove, Patrick Ta, and Synergy. Reflecting on her rapid success, she shared in a recent video, “One day, I was playing cashier and making videos on my break, and now I’m flying across countries to host events and financing the rest of my transition.”
The trend has caught the eye of major corporations. CVS, Elf Cosmetics, and Delta have all engaged with Lebron’s content, embracing her playful take on “demure.” Delta, for instance, commented on her travel-themed TikTok, celebrating the “art of ✨demure✨ travel.”
Other TikTok users have eagerly joined the trend, offering their own takes on how to be demure while eating pizza or getting engaged. Or Plenty of other TikTokers have leapt on the trend. “Bed rotting, but make it demure,” wrote one. Another showcased how pouring wine into a glass is “very demure, very mindful,”.
While some critics argue that such trends perpetuate restrictive stereotypes of femininity—echoing past phenomena like “quiet luxury” and the tradwife movement—the “demure” trend seems to subvert the very notion it plays with, offering a satirical commentary on the internet’s obsession with categorizing women.
Historically, the term “demure” had a more complex connotation, sometimes describing someone as a hypocrite or concealing a darker side. In today’s digital age, is this the trend that finally manages to capture the unique state of the brain rot we get from endless TikTok trends? It just might be.
