How exactly does one become ‘very demure’ and indeed, ‘very mindful’ as we go about life? Here is how TikTok explains it.
If you were to look up the word ‘demure’ on the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, it is defined as an adjective typically used to refer to women who are reserved, quiet, well-behaved, and modest. As far as its etymology is concerned, the origin of the word remains obscure but is believed to have first entered the English lexicon around the middle of the 14th century.
While what it means to be ‘demure’ has remained largely unchanged in modern parlance, the context in which it is used most certainly has, especially if one has been scrolling through TikTok as of late.
You know about ‘brat’ summer, now meet ‘very demure’ fall
In an unexpected switch-up from the almost anarchic irreverence of being ‘so julia’ in lime-green t-shirts, social media users are now making a move to profess that they are, as the cast of Bridgerton would put it, oh so ‘demure’.
That’s thanks to none other than TikTok star Jols Lebron, whose ‘very demure, very mindful’ approach to all facets of her life has inspired a new wave of ardent faithful. This is best exemplified by a recent video in which Lebron speaks on interview-appropriate makeup looks. “You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful,”
Not Patty and Selma, not Marge Simpson, because the goal here is to exude demureness. “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 I’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.” she adds. So, in essence, being ‘very demure’ would be the antithesis of raucous brat behaviour.
@joolieannie
Drawing in more than 12 million views since it was first uploaded, Lebron’s advice on demureness has since inspired a veritable etiquette guide spanning all manner of opportunities where one can be as demure as possible, whether it be when you’re applying deodorant (smelling good is demure), or when you’re in Vegas (don’t do a water bottle of vodka with a side of lemonade, that’s not demure).
All of which coincides perfectly with the advent of the coquette movement and babygirlism, which will require separate explainers if you don’t know what either of those phrases mean.
@joolieannie
It’s all in good humour, of course. But if you’d like a run-down on how you can live your life with a little more demurity, mindfulness, and grace, here are a handful of tips from the wizened arbiters of modern etiquette on X.
1. Always remember to be demure, regardless of the setting you find yourself in.
Me when I’m about to jump to conclusions and then I remember to be classy and demure pic.twitter.com/eVRD5uJ5NB
— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) August 11, 2024
2. Beverages like club soda are so demure
See Rory being demure? pic.twitter.com/bE91AZRySy
— Netflix (@netflix) August 12, 2024
3. Sitting with your legs crossed, like how the Internet’s babygirl Jacob Elordi demonstrates here, expresses peak demureness
very demure very mindful pic.twitter.com/BK95XekExd
— ؘ (@taysrussells) August 12, 2024
4. Being demure takes effort, so get your ass off and be demure
Get your fucking ass up and be demure
It seems nobody wants to be mindful these days pic.twitter.com/Dbo8UaKNRL— Rap Game Ina Garten (@KaraBTweets) August 13, 2024
5. Having impulse control and self-respect is also very demure
See how I haven’t texted that man in weeks? Very mindful. Very demure. Very cutesy
— ☆彡 (@Harryssfw) August 12, 2024
6. Sobriety and serving face, Lisa from BLACKPINK knows how to exude demureness
notice how she’s driving a motorised vehicle while sober and serving… very demure https://t.co/w4O8h4mIut
— freddie (@jentiecult) August 12, 2024
7. That elegance and posture? Shawn Mendes is absolutely demure
Very demure. Very mindful. pic.twitter.com/wStOl6qoq3
— Noah (@Nwnysb) August 10, 2024
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Written by
Benjamin Wong
Senior Editor, Fashion and Dining
Armed with an Advertising major from Lancaster University, Benjamin is a senior editor who has spent his time oscillating between the social media and digital media landscape since 2018. With a keen interest in haute fashion and gastronomy, he has written for publications such as ERROR Digital, WORLD OF BUZZ, and KL Foodie. Beyond the keyboard, you can find him arms-deep in a thrift pile.
