Are you modest? Thoughtful? Cute? What about your favorite brands and celebrities?
The internet’s newest buzzword has been seeping into every corner of the digital world since early August, and anyone who’s spent any time on social media over the past few weeks may have noticed it.
TikTok personality Jules Lebron sparked the trend with one TikTok video that has now gone viral, with over 36 million views as of Tuesday.
“Have you seen my makeup at work? It’s very subtle, I’m very mindful,” LeBron says in the video. “When I go to work, I don’t look like a clown. I don’t overdo it. I’m very mindful when I’m at work. See how I look so put together? The way I look when I come to an interview is the same way I look when I go to work.”
What does it mean exactly? According to Merriam-Webster, “demure” means pretentious, modest, or serious, even shy. According to Oxford English, it’s a term typically used to refer to a modest, reserved, or timid woman, or to clothing that gives the impression of modesty.
When it comes to the internet, it’s an attitude, an aura, a lifestyle. LeBron, who is a transgender woman, previously clarified that she wasn’t the first to use the term in popular internet culture, noting that it’s often used jokingly in online transgender communities.
But her use of the word caused an internet uproar that has since taken over the public lexicon. Since posting her first video on Aug. 8, which has been followed by other videos explaining how viewers should behave more “modestly,” Revlon has partnered with a variety of brands, from cosmetics to beverage companies, and appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” alongside RuPaul.
And as with any internet-fueled colloquialism, celebrities, brands, and even the president himself have begun to cash in on the sensation.
From doughnuts to NASA, brands are profiting from modesty
You’d expect fashion and beauty brands would jump at the chance to incorporate phrases related to those industries into their advertising, but what about airlines, donuts, or even NASA?
United Airlines said it used audio from a subsequent video in which LeBron describes how to behave on a plane: “See how I line up when I get on the plane? Very low-key, not in a hurry, have my spot, stay out of the way.” The airline paired the audio with a video of a woman preparing to board a United Airlines flight.
Perhaps more strikingly, the White House itself jumped on the trend, posting a photo of a smiling Joe Biden to Instagram with the caption, “Forgive the student loans of nearly 5 million Americans through various actions. So thoughtful. So modest.”
And that’s not all: beverage brand Synergy, along with other brands like KVD Beauty and Verizon, have tapped Revlon for promotional shoots and as their brand partner and rep.
A-list celebrities have also jumped on the trend and promoted their own businesses: Jennifer Lopez promoted her drinks brand Delora on Instagram in a post, explaining how she enjoys her drink “low key,” with the caption, “Very low key…very mindful.”
Kim Kardashian also shared photos from a recent shoot to promote her Skims line, again using the same phrase in the caption: “Look how I photograph BTS…so cute, so thoughtful, so understated,” she wrote.
More surprisingly, Dunkin’ Donuts branded its classic glazed doughnut as “classy” and “thoughtful,” while Hello Kitty wished her fans a “classy, thoughtful and adorable” week.
Perhaps the most interesting use of this trend was when NASA released an image of Saturn’s rings, which they called “Very understated. Very adorable. Very thoughtful.” Who knew a planet would be interested in keeping up with the latest trends?
It may be abundantly clear at this point that if you spend any time online, it’s going to be hard to ignore the internet’s desire to be very modest, very thoughtful, and very pretty.
