Online resource Dictionary.com just announced its word of the year and it’s perfectly on trend.
The “demure”-issance began earlier this year when TikTok creator and transgender icon Jools Lebron coined the phrase “very demure, very mindful” in a now-viral video. Soon enough, the phrase took off as Lebron continued to apply her demure philosophy to situations like job interviews, boarding airplanes, talking to friends, existing in public, and in just about every way she saw fit.
Related
INTO spoke to Jools Lebron about what’s next for the iconic demure diva.
“You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful,” she said in her famous video. “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.”
Culture, unfiltered
Our newsletter will bring you the pulse of queer culture, from the tastemakers to the groundbreakers.
After a temporary bump in the road caused by a patent battle, Lebron was able to make enough money off of the video that she was able to pay for housing, fund the rest of her transition, and still have enough left over to help out her friends. Now, she’s in talks with Netflix about expanding the demure cinematic universe, and we absolutely love to see it.
“As remote work fades and in-person experiences become the norm again, the subtle art of personal presentation has taken on renewed importance,” said Steve Johnson, Curriculum Design Manager of the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning, in a press release for Dictionary.com. “Demure captures this cultural shift with a modern twist: a word that once carried traditional, often limiting connotations has been reimagined to celebrate understated elegance and suavity. Its evolving meaning gives people a way to express quiet confidence—embracing modesty and charm as intentional, empowering choices.”
Sign up for the INTO newsletter and get your twice-weekly dose of stories that shape the queer experience, culture, and lifestyle.
