Brat winter is out because we are about to have a “very mindful, very demure spring”. TikTok is buzzing with this latest trend, and it seems like everyone is suddenly an expert on modesty and mindfulness. But what does that even mean?
Apparently, eating a burrito bowl can now be a very demure, very mindful experience. If you’re as confused as I am, don’t worry because we’re about to unpack how the internet became “very demure,” in a mindful way of course. Let’s dissect this new internet personality we’re all trying on.
What does the ‘Demure’ TikTok trend mean?
It all started with TikTok user Jools Lebron (@joolieannie), who blessed us with a video on how to be “demure and modest and respectful at the workplace”.
The video starts off with her saying, “You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure, very mindful.” She explains that you should keep things low key at work, never wear a full beat. She says she’s “not coming to work with a green cut crease.”
Jools continues on, “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.”
She then points to the top she’s wearing to say she only has “a little chi-chi out, not my cho-cho.” Words to live by.
Another creator, Selyna Brillare, is also claiming that she was the OG demure queen. On August 11th, Selyna posted a now-deleted video saying she’d been using the phrase since 2020. She felt like her idea had been “regurgitated and rearranged,” which is about as un-demure as you can get. Selyna also posted a clip from 2022 of her saying, “I’m very petite, I’m very demure. I only eat greek salads.”
Most of TikTok has sided with Jools , saying Selyna wasn’t being very demure about the whole situation.
One user commented on a video explaining the situation, “Jools demure hits diff.”
Another pointed out, “But you see how jools does it? Very demure, very cutesy.”
Jools replied to drama in a very mindful way with a video titled ,”How to respond to drama in a demure way.” Although Jools doesn’t directly call out Selyna out she did say that she’s, “always tried to be very mindful, never tried to be petite, never tried to be dainty, but always tried to be demure.”
She continues, “Let’s be mindful of who we are before someone feeds drama to us.”
Whoever started it, I’m just glad I myself am learning how to be very demure, very mindful and very cutesie.
What is the definition of demure?
For those of us who slept through English class, “demure” actually means modest and reserved. But don’t worry it’s not an ode to trad-wife core, it’s just a silly goofy joke on TikTok. It’s basically become Gen Z’s way of saying ‘classy,’ but make it fun. It’s giving ‘I’m a lady in the streets, but a freak in the… TikTok comments.’
The demure takeover
Now, everyone and their grandma is trying to be “very demure, very mindful.” People are eating their lunches demurely, sending emails demurely, and probably even scrolling through TikTok demurely.
See this article, I wrote it demurely and you should be reading it very demurely, very mindfully.
Some users have garnered millions of views on videos of them being demure in their everyday lives including “how to be demure and take your antidepressants.” TikTok creator SayEssence reminds us to be “mindful” of why you were prescribed the medication.
Even celebrities have jumped on the trend to show how demure they are, including Peach PRC, Angel Reese and Patrick Ta.
The corporate invasion
Unfortunately being very demure may no longer be the very mindful thing to do because you know a trend has peaked when brands start jumping on the bandwagon. Netflix is already trying to get in on the action with a resurfaced Gilmore Girls clip describing Rory as “the demurest”. I don’t think stealing a boat and dropping out of Yale is very demure but whatever.
Netflix is the first of the corporate hands to get on the trend so we’re probably about five minutes away from seeing a “very demure, very mindful” car insurance commercial. Brace yourselves.
How long will we all be very demure?
Let’s be real: TikTok trends have the shelf life of a Snapchat story — here today, gone tomorrow. So, how long can we expect this “very demure, very mindful” phase to stick around? Given that brat winter somehow managed to last longer than most of our attention spans, maybe we’re finally maturing.
But with brands already trying to cash in, it’s clear that this trend is just one viral dance away from being yesterday’s news.
At the end of the day, being “very demure, very mindful” is just the latest way for us to pretend we have our lives together on the internet. It’s giving ‘main character energy‘ but make it modest. So go ahead, eat your salad demurely, finish those emails mindfully, and please don’t let your cho-cho out.
The post Why Is Everyone Online ‘Very Demure, Very Mindful’? Breaking Down The Viral TikTok Trend appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
