You may have noticed content creators on your TikTok feed talking about being “very mindful,” “very cutesy,” or — most notably — “very demure.” But what you may not have noticed is the trend actually began in Chicago.
The "word of the year" for 2024 has an unexpected Chicago connection.
Dictionary.com revealed its top pick for word of the year Tuesday, saying the short list of options "capture pivotal moments in language and culture" -- and this year's winner was no exception.
"These words serve as a linguistic time capsule, reflecting social trends and global events that defined the year. The Word of the Year isn’t just about popular usage; it reveals the stories we tell about ourselves and how we’ve changed over the year," the website stated.
This year, that word is, unsurprisingly, "demure."
The word "experienced a meteoric rise in usage in 2024," credited largely to TikToker Jools Lebron, whose viral phrase "very demure, very mindful" became a staple both on and off social media.
Lebron, who is Chicago based, even filed to trademark the phrase.
Here's what to know:
Local
How the "very demure" trend started
It all started Aug. 2, when Lebron posted a video with the title, "How to be demure at work," which quickly went viral.
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"You see how I come to work? Very demure," she said in the video. "I do my makeup, I lay my wig, I do a little braid."
She then sprayed herself with perfume in her car before going on to say she is being, “Very demure. Very mindful. Let’s not forget to be demure, divas.”
In the days that followed, she made dozens of now-viral videos showing how she does everyday tasks in a "very demure" way, like ordering food, getting manicures, boarding airplanes and even applying deodorant.
And from there, so did the internet, using TikTok and Instagram's "template" feature.
In a video for her 1.4 million followers, Lebron, who is transgender and uses she/her pronouns, said thanks to her newfound fame, she will now be able to finance the rest of her transition.
"One day I was playing cashier and making videos on my break, and now I'm flying across the country to host events," she added.
What does "demure" actually mean?
According to Merriam-Webster, demure is an adjective meaning "affectedly modest, reserved, or serious."
Lebron uses "demure" as a term of endearment to describe herself as she does daily tasks, often adding "I'm not like you other girls."
When she says she is doing something in a "very demure" way, she often adds other words like mindful, cutesy and considerate.
“You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure, very mindful,” she says in a video posted on Aug. 5. “I don’t look like a clown when I come to work. I don’t do too much. I’m very mindful while I’m at work.”
