American TikTok user Jools Lebron casually coined a now-iconic phrase while doing and embracing their makeup. They quoted, "Very Demure, Very Mindful,' and the whole internet gushed. LeBron, a trans person from Chicago, claimed that the trend had made them so viral that they had earned enough money to undergo transitioning treatment. However, the catchphrase has now landed them in a legal battle under US trademark laws, making them unable to launch merchandise in their name.
LeBron posted on their social media that they “didn’t trademark fast enough," leading to a man in Washington claiming fame from their viral words. The man, identified as Jefferson Bates, has reportedly filed to trademark “Very Demure .. Very Mindful ...”, according to TMZ.
Very Demure, Very Mindful, Very Viral
Jools Lebron blurted out the words 'Very Demure, Very Mindful' in one of their videos posted on their page. It has now surpassed 30 million views. Titled "How To Be Demure at Work", the video was released on August 2.
In the video above, they talk about their approach to makeup. And how they keep it almost natural and nude when they're going to work. Seems mindful of them, right? Those were their next words. "Very Demure, Very Mindful. See, I don't do too much. I'm very mindful when I am at work. See how I look? Very presentable."
It seems like they meant to guide all the girlies on TikTok what society has been feeding into their heads since childhood, "Dress according to the occasion," and "Less is More." But since Lebron's words were so humorous and even a little harsh everyone seemed to understand it very quickly and get on board with it. Their name-dropping of pop culture stars roped the GenZ onto the new trend.
Is Lebron a credit-hog or an original creator?
The fame and virality of Lebron's TikTok video has led to some in-house fighting. Brillaire, a mega influencer said in a live video how Lebron was "getting her bag" and it was a cheap trick to get all the money by taking ownership of a trend she came up with in the first place and not even giving credit to her. Yes, Brillaire has re-posted some videos which were deleted from her page earlier. They go along the lines of the 'demure' concept. This, coupled with the trademark lawsuit has caused a roadblock in LeBron's path to fame.
I am not crazy, I am very demure: says Lebron
Amidst all this chatter in the background, Lebron gets in the forefront and scores an interview with the CBS Mornings. Way to go, Lebron! Thereby, they explain her philosophy behind going demure, instead of going crazy.
"Your demure is what it means to be you. It's being mindful and considerate of the people around you, but also of yourself and how you present to the world," they quote. They wish for a more nuanced, relaxed approach towards makeup and getting ready for everyone.
"We're all like in this; we're unified like nothing has to be so serious. Nothing has to be so aggressive. We only do a little bit. I'm not crazy about it. I'm very demure," they laugh off while saying.
What does Demure mean?
Traditionally, the word demure was used to describe a woman who was shy, reserved, quiet or modest. Stereotypically, they were the characteristics of "a good woman."
But the aforementioned traits find no place in a TikToker's demeanour. They lack these traits, which is absolutely okay. But the new trend is about embracing these features. The Demure Trend basically says, "You don't have to have these qualities, you can just look like them."
Fellow content creators join
The trend has been taking the whole of the Internet by storm, which is not "demure" at all.
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