The latest TikTok trend, centered around being “demure,” is rapidly gaining popularity, with many users embracing a more thoughtful approach to self-presentation.
According to various content creators, adopting a demure lifestyle involves embracing modesty. The term has gone viral, with over 122,000 TikTok videos using the hashtag #demure.
Jools Lebron, a TikTok creator from Chicago, Illinois, has become a central figure in this trend, with her explanation video amassing over 23 million views. In the video, Lebron provides examples of what it means to “act demure.”
“You see how I did my makeup for work? Very demure, very mindful,” Lebron explains. She continues, “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.”
The word “demure,” defined as “reserved” and “modest,” has sparked a conversation on TikTok, with many users expressing their enthusiasm for incorporating it into their vocabulary.
“I can’t stop saying, ‘Very demure, very mindful,’” one user commented. Another shared, “I love this and don’t know why…”
One TikTok user even provided an example of their newfound demure behavior: “Today, I grabbed a straw for my drink and told myself, ‘Very demure.’”
However, some users are still grappling with the trend, as one person noted, “I spent my whole day thinking about whether this is serious or a joke. Not very demure or mindful of me.”
In another TikTok video, Lebron demonstrates how to act demure in an airport setting.
“You see how I walk through the airport? I don’t do a lot like these other girls. I get to my gate, and I get on the plane. I’m very cutesy, right, demure.”
Other content creators have also weighed in on how to live a demure lifestyle.
Campbell Puckett, a Georgia-based TikTok creator, shared her perspective in a video that garnered over three million views. In the video, Puckett is seen slicing an almond croissant with a fork and knife, explaining that her method of eating is “demure.”
“You see how I eat this? I’m very modest. I’m very demure. I’m very cutesy,” she says. “I’m not messy,” she adds. “I don’t like crumbs.”
Zach Jelks, another TikTok creator with six million followers, also discussed the demure trend in a video that received over three million views. Jelks used his Chipotle order as an example of demure behavior.
“Do you see how my Chipotle bowl looks edible? Do you see how you can see the contents of the bowl?” he asks.
Jelks further explained that by not requesting sour cream on the side and opting for a small bag of chips, he was exhibiting demure behavior.
Fox News Digital reached out to Lebron, Puckett, and Jelks for their comments on the trend.
The rise of the demure trend on TikTok follows the recent “brat summer” phenomenon, popularized by singer Charli XCX.
In a TikTok video, Charli XCX described “brat summer” as embodying a “girl who is a little messy and likes to party.”
She elaborated, “Maybe you do some dumb things sometimes, [someone] who, like, feels herself but also … maybe has a breakdown.”
The singer also characterized this persona as “honest, blunt, and volatile.”
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign recently leaned into the “brat” meme that has gone viral on the internet, particularly among Gen Z.
This unconventional campaign strategy may seem unfamiliar to older voters, many of whom are unsure of what “brat” even means, as previously reported by Fox News Digital.
In July, after Charli XCX tweeted, “kamala IS brat” just hours after President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid and endorsed Harris, the campaign’s X account seized the opportunity.
The account’s cover photo was updated to mimic the lime-hued color used on Charli XCX’s album cover, with the words “Brat” replaced by “Kamala HQ.”
“She’s sort of building her brand around this, specifically with the whole brat culture thing,” remarked Eric Dahan, the California-based founder of Mighty Joy, a company that helps commerce-focused brands convert social communities into sales.
Dahan continued, “I think it’s a tool and like any tool, she’s using it for her, but it also will continue to be used against her.
She’s leaning into a lot of this stuff she was made fun of to just kind of laugh it off [and] make it seem like just a personality trait, but she’s sort of building her brand around this, specifically with the whole brat culture thing.”
Dahan also noted that older Americans might find themselves puzzled by the use of “brat” in the context of an American president.
