It's official: Brat summer is officially over—it's time for demure fall, everyone. If you've been wondering why it seems like people just can't stop peppering in "very demure" and "very mindful" in just about every other sentence, it's all thanks to Jools Lebron, a.k.a. @joolieannie on TikTok. Keep on reading for a much-needed explainer of why everyone has been acting more demure and mindful these days:
What is the "very demure, very mindful" trend on TikTok?
"You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful," Jools says in one of her first few "very demure" videos.
"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. 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," she continues.
"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?"
@joolieannie #fyp #demure ? original sound - Jools Lebron
The original video, posted on August 6, has since gone on to rack up over 33.1 million views and has inspired more installments of Jools schooling everyone on how to be demure in just about any situation, such as ordering your food, boarding the plane, and even how to do your makeup more mindfully for a family dinner.
Jools explained in a video that her demure videos began as her just referencing herself.
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.
"I did a brand deal with Urban Decay and did a green-glare-cut crease, but that same day, I started my first day at Texas Roadhouse. Every demure video is just me referencing me. That's the entire joke! Some people are like, 'Maybe we shouldn’t judge people for how they arrive at work.' Girl, I'm just judging myself!"
@joolieannie #fyp #demure ? original sound - Jools Lebron
OK, but what does "demure" and "mindful" even mean?
Welp, obviously these words existed long before Jools made them viral thanks to her demure delivery, but according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, demure is "affectedly modest, reserved, or serious," while mindful means "aware or considerate."
Brands have also jumped on the bandwagon, such as MAC Cosmetics recommending a curation of makeup products you can use to look more demure and mindful at work, with the starter pack consisting of soft pink blushes and lippies, translucent setting powders, and dewy skin tints. So cutesy!
Netflix also got in on the joke, with Penn Badgley, the star of the Netflix series You, demonstrating just how demurely he shows up on the last day of filming.
So...is being "very demure" and "very mindful" a thing now, or...?
While the trend was initially focused on makeup and how you appear to others (i.e. the workplace), at its heart, it's a lighthearted take on the importance of presenting one's self in different settings, whatever being demure or mindful means to you.
It's not about suppressing your personality, as Jools playfully reminds us, but striking a balance between expressing yourself and maintaining that veneer of professionalism. It's basically a power move, really—you're showing the world that you can be both cutesy and capable!
