TikTok’s New Ethos (But Make It Satire)

Brat Summer is Dead, Long Live Demure Fall

Forget hot girl summer, forget brat summer. TikTok has a new obsession, giving us Emily Post meets Gen Z satire. Welcome to the world of “very demure, very mindful,” where less is more, but it’s also hilarious.

Who’s Behind This Modesty Madness?

Meet Jools Lebron, TikTok’s new queen of composure:

• 1.2 million followers hanging on her every demure word
• Advising on how to be “very demure, very mindful” in daily life
• Spoiler alert: It’s all satire, folks

How to Be Demure (According to Jools)

Want to join the demure brigade? Here’s your crash course:

• At work: Look like Marge Simpson, not Patty and Selma (very professional, very demure)
• At the airport: Be early, be on time, be considerate (very traveler of the year, very demure)
• At a bar: Retrieve your ID and leave immediately (very responsible, very cutesy, very demure)
• On the Las Vegas strip: Show a little “chee chee,” but not too much (very Sin City, very demure)

Why Is This a Thing?

It’s a perfect storm of:

• Poking fun at performative femininity (because who doesn’t love a good satire?)
• Spoofing Gen Z’s obsession with “quiet luxury” (Hailey Bieber, we see you and your $20 smoothie)
• Giving us all permission to be a hot mess… demurely

The Art of Being Subtly Ridiculous

• This trend is more layered than a very demure onion:
• It’s a critique of societal expectations (but make it TikTok)
• It’s mindfulness, but with a heavy dose of irony

Corporate America: Very Confused, Very Interested

Brands are jumping on the demure bandwagon faster than you can say “modest makeup”. This trend is more layered than a very demure onion:

• It’s a critique of societal expectations (but make it marketable)
• e.l.f. Cosmetics: Blending in… to the comments section
• United Airlines: Making “demure travel” a thing (does this mean smaller seats?)

Why Are Brands So Thirsty for Demure?

Good question! It’s a perfect storm of:

• Cultural shift from “look at me!” to “don’t look at me (but actually, please do)”
• Gen Z’s love for understated elegance (and overpriced coffee)
• A chance for brands to seem hip without trying too hard (very cool, very mindful)

Playlists: The Sound of Silence (But Make It Profitable)

• Spotify seeing a 2,500% spike in “demure” playlist searches
• Featuring artists like Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish (because whispering is the new screaming)

The Bottom Line

In a world where everyone’s trying to stand out, the “very demure” trend is a hilarious reminder that sometimes, the loudest statement is made with a whisper and a wink. Or, you know, with a carefully crafted social media campaign designed to look effortless.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go create a very demure, very mindful sponsored post about my new quiet luxury water bottle. It’s just like regular water, but more expensive and less noticeable.

Do say: “I find this brand engagement to be quite intriguing. One might even say it’s… very demure, very mindful.” sips $15 “quiet luxury” water

Don’t say: “HEY BRANDS, CAN YOU PLEASE SHOUT ABOUT BEING QUIET A LITTLE LOUDER? I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF MY WALLET CRYING!”