Once upon a time, the word demure belonged more to the world of literature than to the flashy and click-inviting realm of social media. However, that has changed. A series of TikTok posts by the influencer Jools Lebron has shed new light on this term. In one of her posts, she was talking about how to be demure at work, turning the demure meaning into something else than it meant before. This is another example of how modern digital platforms have a much bigger influence on linguistics than hundreds of professors, teachers, and translators.
So, amidst this viral demurety, one question keeps resonating: what is the definition of demure today? (And no, it has nothing to do with Demi Moore; but she has addressed herself as “very mindful, very demure”, and some other actresses have joined the demure trend, as you’ll see below).
Demure Meaning in Two Iterations
As defined by Britannica Dictionary, demure is an adjective describing a girl or woman who is polite and quiet. The other meaning is not seeking or drawing too much attention. So, a very demure woman is the one who behaves in a modest and discreet way.
However, the way social media and influencers now use demure is a bit opposite to its original meaning. Although they still define demure as shy and calm, the hype that has grown around this term on social media is quite the opposite: a true demure trend has been around for more than a year now, all flashy and flamboyant.
What Does Demure Mean in Social Media
People follow social media for different reasons. But following very demure women is not a common thing. It’s quite the opposite: women who show more than they hide typically have the highest number of followers.
And yet, Jools Lebron has managed to make her TikTok profile and stats skyrocket by simply being very demure, very mindful. A transgender person (which is not key for the story, but has spiced things up a bit, given the original demure definition), who prefers to be addressed as she/her, Jools came to the spotlight after that post went viral. Millions of TikTok users now use the word demure, together with the phrase “very mindful”, for various situations and events.
What’s more, TikTok users have written the hashtag #demure in more than 240,000 posts. The demure trend has also spread to the red carpet. In a teaser for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Demi Moore described herself as being “very Demi Moore, very mindful”; if pun lovers hadn’t fallen for her charm before, that moment must have been an epiphany.
Jamie Lee Curtis has also used the word “demure” in her post about the sequel of Freaky Friday. Those who remember the TV series Gilmore Girls must have chuckled a bit when Netflix called Rory “the demurest” in its post.
Very Demure: When’s The End?
Language trends are quite a common thing on the Internet. Social networks are the most fertile ground for these phenomena, but popular websites don’t fall behind. Just think of the memes that the demure trend inspired, and that’s only one portion of its virality. In this case, a somewhat literature-limited word has become popular, and it was an exception.
Slang words go viral more often, especially if they are used by celebrities or influencers. The acronym GOAT, meaning the Greatest Of All Time, is used very often in the online context. Also, if you’ve said recently that something is “mid” for a medium-quality product, you’ve used just another viral slang word.
The agility of very demure, very mindful posts hasn’t died down yet. But just like every other trendy word or expression, it has an expiration date. In the meantime, new trends will keep appearing, to the delight of language lovers and the smirking of their professors.
As for Jools Lebron, the demure trend has helped her additionally build her online presence. She has also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where the wider audience had a chance to see this TikTok (and language) influencer. She’s also spoken at numerous business and entertainment events in the US. And that’s the irony twist – being demure has turned her into a star.
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