“Very demure, very mindful”: What’s the latest Tiktok trend?

WEB DESK: Bytedance’s social media platform TikTok is buzzing with the latest – and yet another – trend, and this time, it has everyone scratching their end in confusion. Enter: “very demure, very mindful”. Just what is the latest trend all about?

The latest “very demure, very mindful” Tiktok trend centers around Jools Lebron, a TikTok creator who popularised the phrase to describe a style of being ‘modest’ and ‘refined’ in everyday life.

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The trend started when Lebron used the term “demure” to humourously portray how she tackles her daily life. From getting ready for work or behaving in public, be “very demure”. Indeed!

For Lebron, “demure” means being understated and chic, such as doing makeup simply or dressing “modestly”.

In her videos, Lebron combines “demure” with “mindful” to create a playful and exaggerated version of these traits. For instance, she might say she’s being “very demure” while doing her makeup or eating a snack, often juxtaposing this with humourous or ironic scenarios.

The term caught on with the younger crowd of Tiktok, leading to thousands of users adopting and adapting it to describe their own behavior.

The “very demure, very mindful” Tiktok trend is latest in 15 seconds of popularity most creators across different social media platforms hopes to achieve. And yet, it is as fleeting as the length of TikTok.

It also is a fascinating study into the virality aspect of social media and how the algorithm or the captivated audience can quickly amplify specific phrases. While Tiktok is mostly associated with the younger demographics (specifically Gen Z), each individual interpretation of the latest trend is a fascinating study in how users reinterpret and use the trends in different contexts.

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While the term “demure” traditionally means modest and reserved, on TikTok, it has become a catch-all for describing anything done in a ‘stylishly’ understated manner.