Meme Monday: very demure, very mindful
Meme Monday: very demure, very mindful
Mondays are tough. Here's a meme to cheer you up
It’s time for a special edition of the newsletter where I highlight a trending meme. If you’re new, you can subscribe here and follow me on Threads or X. Views are my own. Happy reading!
What is the meme?
Influencer Jools Lebron coined the phrase in a satirical video. “See how I come to work?” She said. “I do my makeup. I lay my wig. I do a little braid. I flat iron my hair. … Very demure, very mindful.”
“Her videos have taken the app by storm, with her most-viewed ‘demure’ video reaching over 19 million views,” Olivia Craighead wrote for The Cut. “Since Lebron’s videos have taken off, people have taken it upon themselves to declare what is and isn’t demure.”
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Who is in the meme?
The meme comes in many formats, whether that’s people recording themselves eating their sandwich at lunch in a “demure” manner or images comparing the trend to previously popular aesthetics, like “brat.”
When did the meme pop up?
The original video was posted on Aug. 5, spawning TikTok spoofs.
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Where is the meme?
Originating on TikTok, the meme has made its way to text-based platforms like X and Instagram. (Spotify even reported an increase in “demure” themed playlists).
Why is the meme?
The Washington Post’s Amber Ferguson broke down the trend this way:
“Although ‘demure’ typically is defined as modesty or being reserved, this trend falls opposite of the tradwives or ‘clean girl’ aesthetic. It makes fun of trying to be put together all the time.”
Read the last Meme Monday: The Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony