There is a new social media trend that has gone viral over the internet just before autumn.
Recently, people have been all about messy and “brat”, but now the net has got itself a new look and state of mind: “demure,” which is all about cuteness, clarity and mindfulness.
However, what started this trend? What does it mean?
This post will tell you everything if you don’t live online.
What does the demure TikTok trend mean? Who started it?
According to USA TODAY, the new viral attitude ‘demure’ was made popular by a TikTok creator called Jools Lebron who has over 1.2 million followers on that platform. People magazine reports the trend took off after Lebron posted a video on Aug, 2 describing how she gets ready for work in a “demure” way.
Up to August 23, the video had already garnered approximately 43.1 million views, over 4.2 million likes and more than 19,100 comments. Since then thousands of other videos have been posted on the social media app under the hashtag “demure,” with several from Lebron getting millions of views.
But what is demure?
This term emphasizes cuteness and purity while avoiding attention. There’s also an emphasis on productivity and navigating your life with quiet confidence and gentility.
As USA TODAY speculates whether it is ironic or not, it is gaining popularity online anyway. Many users have even joked that demure will replace brat summer in the fall.
What is the meaning of being ‘demure’?
Demureness is not just a matter of beauty. It’s a lifestyle, and LeBron even tells us how to be demure while boarding an aeroplane, responding to drama or ordering food.
“You see how I do my makeup at work? Very demure, very mindful,” Lebron says in one video that has over 10 million views. “I don’t come to work with a green-cut crease. I don’t go to work looking like a clown. I don’t do too much because when I am at work; I’m very mindful. Do you see how presentable I look? That’s exactly how I left this interview to get the job.”
And like most trends these days, even major corporations are infiltrating the new Gen Z meme.
“So demure,” noted United Airlines on TikTok.
“Very demure,” noted Google on vacation responder set to on.”
What is the meaning of the word ‘demure’?
Demure” means being affectedly modest, reserved or serious according to Merriam-Webster. Examples include flirtatious, coquettish and kittenish.
What is “brat summer”?
Brat summer as a way of life refers to the “brat” term that went viral after pop singer Charli XCX released her album “Brat” on June 7. According to USA TODAY, Brats are people who live for pleasure without caring what society expects from them.
Instead of following accepted norms on matters like ageing, clean living or etiquette, brats look into their community with fun taking over and unapologetically embracing themselves.
In addition to that, it is also noteworthy that this season features boldly coloured and sometimes revealing outfits inspired by Gen Z’s Y2K fashion resurgence and the color ‘slime green.’
Are you demure or a brat?
But the brat trend is all about embracing your messy self, including loud makeup, clubbing, partying and general chaos, which is pretty much the opposite of being demure. It promotes a more polished and grounded approach to life.
However, People magazine says both trends are “less of a lifestyle and more of an overall vibe” and that the energy behind demure could also be seen as a brat.