On Monday, Dictionary.com officially announced 'demure' as its 2024 Word of the Year. The term experienced a meteoric rise in popularity, largely attributed to TikToker Jools Lebron's viral video where she said, "Very demure, very mindful," describing her preferred workplace makeup style. Dictionary.com selected 'demure' after analyzing data from newsworthy headlines, social media trends, and search results, stating, "The Word of the Year isn't just about popular usage; it reveals the stories we tell about ourselves and how we've changed over the years."
Dictionary.com defines 'demure' as "characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved," and it can also mean "affectedly or coyly decorous, sober, or sedate." The word went viral over the summer, experiencing a 1,200% increase in usage in online media over the past year, as reported by ABC News. This surge in popularity is largely attributed to Jools Lebron's TikTok video, which sparked widespread interest in the term.
In the video posted on August 5, 2024, Jools Lebron showed herself sitting in a car with makeup on, with a caption reading, "How to be demure ... at the workplace."
"You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful. I don't come to work with a green-cut crease. I don't look like a clown when I go to work. I don't do too much. I'm very mindful while I'm at work. You see how I look very presentable? The way I came to the interview is the way I go to the job," she says in the video.
The phrase "Very demure, very mindful" quickly became a mantra on social media, prompting users to recreate and share their own versions of the video. There was a 200% increase in searches for the word 'demure' on Dictionary.com, with searches 200 times higher at the trend's peak compared to earlier in the year. The use of 'demure' has shifted between sincere and satirical, amplifying its presence online.
Lebron gained over 2.3 million followers and 113 million likes on TikTok. Fame and attention have greatly improved her financial stability, helping her finance the rest of her transition. "I grew up in a humble part of Chicago, and so being able to finally give my family good housing, and live in a good area. And being able to not do things like, where we're out of survival mode, but being able to actually afford things on its own is just being able to change my life," Lebron said, according to ABC News.
The trend gained further momentum as well-known figures and celebrities participated. The White House wrote, "Cancelling the student debt of nearly 5 million Americans through various actions. Very mindful. Very demure," along with a picture of President Joe Biden. Kim Kardashian used the phrase in a caption for her shapewear brand Skims: "See how I take my BTS pictures...very cutsie, very mindful, very demure...not like the other girls."
RuPaul also participated in the trend. In a video promoting online bookstore Allstora, RuPaul said, "Do you see how I'm reading this book? Very demure. I don't read the pages with my ears, but with a bookmark."
Dictionary.com noted that this increased focus on public appearance and behavior comes at a time when employees are increasingly returning to offices after hybrid remote work following the pandemic.
The word 'demure' is also on the Oxford Dictionary's recently announced shortlist for Word of the Year. Along with 'demure', Dictionary.com also announced their Word of the Year shortlist, which included 'Brainrot', 'Brat', 'Extreme Weather', 'Midwest Nice', and 'Weird'.
In August, Jools Lebron told People about the video's attention: "When something like this happens you're supposed to shy away from appreciating your own impact but I literally love it." She added, "I still can't believe it. I've been doing this for eleven years and never saw the success I wanted to. So having this moment feels insane," according to People. On November 26, she acknowledged the announcement of 'demure' as the Word of the Year by reposting the news on her Instagram Stories.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq