- TikToker Jools Lebron's "demure" video went viral, amassing over 35 million views in 2 weeks.
- The term "demure" quickly became a top-searched word on Google and a marketing trend.
- Brands and celebrities like Jennifer Lopez have leveraged it, like 2024's earlier "Brat" trend.
Brat summer is winding down, and a new way of life is taking over just in time for the leaves to change.
Proving how powerful a single word can be, "demure" entered the mainstream pop culture lexicon in less than a week and is now the word on the tip of everyone's tongue.
On August 5, TikToker Jools Lebron posted a lighthearted about her makeup and attire for work. It was less than 45 seconds long, but her words stuck with the chronically online community and quickly spread beyond.
"You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful," Lebron said in the clip.
If a business wants to market to Gen Z, scrolling TikTok for an hour is a great crash course in what works. One viral video is all it took for "demure" to become one of the top-searched words on Google last Thursday.
Over 35 million views later, Lebron said in follow-up videos that the word has changed her life. It didn't take long for brands to catch onto the trend, and attach to it with the same fervor they had for pop star Charli XCX's "brat."
In the wake of her video, Lebron has partnered with makeup lines, beverage brands, and more to create branded "demure" content for her 1.7 million (and counting) followers. She also appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Monday night.
Meantime, celebrity business owners like Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian have participated in the trend — Lopez promoted her own drink company in her "demure" video.
Lebron has previously said that she isn't the first person to use the word playfully online and that it's commonly used in the transgender community.
But her video reached far beyond her peers and has seemingly dethroned the other popular phrase that everyone is uttering.
It has undoubtedly been a brat summer, thanks to the release of Charli XCX's "Brat" album in June. Green billboards, TikTok hashtags, and even presidential candidate Kamala Harris have been positively associated with the term.
Like brat and most internet slang that came before it, demure is a loosely defined term when used online. It can be used in its literal definition — reserved or modest — or it can describe someone cool and mysterious.
No matter how you use it, the trend's momentum is continuing. Some brands spend millions each year on advertising, but a single word can be the source of a monthslong campaign.
It can even be powerful enough to spur young adults to vote for the next US president.
"kamala IS brat," Charli XCX said in a X post.
And in Lebron's words, "Here's your reality check, diva. What's the name you would like me to make it out to?"
