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.
If you have Instagram or TikTok, you may have noticed something "very mindful, very demure" recently.
It's all thanks to a Chicago-based TikTok content creator who goes by the name Jools Lebron.
Aug. 2, Lebron posted a video with the title, "How to be demure at work," which quickly went viral.
"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.
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And from there, so did the internet, using TikTok and Instagram's "template" feature.
It’s unclear exactly how many followers Lebron has gained since the trend went viral, but she said the trend has "changed her life."
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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.”
Are the "demure" videos serious or a joke?
From fellow TikTok creators to A-list celebrities like Kim Kardashian, it seems the whole internet is in on the joke. But did the demure trend start out that way?
Lebron has made it clear that her videos are "obviously" a joke, but that not every one has picked up on the irony.
She even added that the original joke about not showing up to work with "green glitter cut crease" makeup was poking fun at something she herself did.
Whether or not everyone in the comments is in on the joke, most of the creators who have made their own "demure" videos are doing so in the way Lebron intended: ironically.
Some accounts are also using the trend to draw attention to serious issues from registering to vote to mental health awareness.
In recent days, the trend has spilled over to politics, and even entered the race for president.
