A Breakdown of the “Very Demure” Takeover on TikTok Rn

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This past weekend, my best friend completely rocked my world after sending me a TikTok from one of my FYP faves, Jools Lebron. I had initially followed her last year for her impressive Bratz doll collection but stayed for her stunning hair and makeup looks. So when my bestie pulled up a clip of Jools describing how she keeps things “demure,” “cutesy,” and “mindful” at work, I was very much on board. No, seriously—we spent the entirety of our girls’ weekend referencing her “very demure” video, as has the rest of the internet.

“You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful,” Jools says in the viral clip. “I don’t come to work with a green-cut crease. I don’t look like a clown when I go to work. I don’t do too much. I’m very mindful while ’m at work. You see how I look very presentable? The way I came to the interview is the way I go to the job. A lot of you girls go to the interview looking like Marge Simpson and go to the job looking like Patty and Selma. Not demure. I’m very modest. I’m very mindful. You see my shirt? Only a little chee chee out, not my cho cho. Be mindful of why they hired you. Here’s your reality check, diva. What’s the name you’d like me to make it out to?”

The clip has raked in more than 10 million views since it was posted on August 5 and has inspired a whole movement of hilarious videos. Wondering how we got here? Allow me to be “very mindful” and explain.

So, why is everyone saying “very demure” all of a sudden?

Although Jools’ clip above gained major traction, the “demure” bit has been going on for a minute now. She clarified that her use of the word started as a joke and that people started taking it seriously as they rushed to her comments section.

“The way my ‘demure’ videos are, to me, obviously a joke but, like, people in my comments are like, ‘Well, my job doesn’t pay me extra to be demure. Sometimes, they get me when I rolled out of bed,’” she explained. Later in the video, she added, “Every ‘demure’ video is just me referencing me. Like, that’s the joke.”

Of course, she kept the bit going with other installments of demurity, from getting off airplanes to being respectful during drag performances:

What does demure even mean?

Great Q! According to Merriam-Webster, demure is an adjective that means “reserved, modest, and coy.” But with Jools’ hilarious videos, anything could be deemed demure, from a cocktail choice to clapbacks.

Obviously, the word has existed for a long time, but it’s gone viral thanks to Jools’ effortless and “cutesy” delivery. The meme has a massive reach—it even made its way to celebs like Angel Reese and Patrick Ta:

Internet sleuths (my people!) have also tracked down clips from shows like Gilmore Girls and The Nanny that straight-up use the word back in the day.

And, of course, brands are hopping on the trend too. Chili's Grill & Bar weighed in on the demurity on August 13:

You see how we, the people of the internet, credit Jools with its popularity now? Very mindful. Very cutesy. Very demure. 🤭

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