(Photo credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
If you’ve spent ANY time on social media this month, you’ve likely seen and heard the girlies using the word “demure.” It all started with a video that TikToker Jools Lebron posted on August 2 about her “very demure” workplace attire. Most recently,the content creator has spoken out against a Washington man who filed to trademark their “demure” wave.
According to NBC News, Jefferson Bates went ALL OUT, filing paperwork to trademark the majority of Jools’ “demure” statement. Bates seeks to secure the rights to “Very Demure…Very Mindful” and did not name Lebron in the filing.
Note that as of Monday (August 26), Jools video has received over 47.4 million views. Social media users, celebrities, and media outlets have repeatedly credited the Chicago-based TikToker for the phrase all month.
“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,” Jools Lebron says in the viral 38-second clip.
Additionally, before the outsider trademark attempt, Jools repeatedly used her “very demure” catchphrase in other similar content.On August 19, the creator appeared on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ to discuss her newfound fame and the “demure” phrase that pushed her TikTok follower count to two million plus.
Furthermore, she’s shared deeply personal accounts of how the trending catchphrase has resulted in real-life glo-ups for her and her loved ones.
So, it’s no secret who gave the “very demure” trend its recent popularity — despite icons like Nicki Minaj and ‘The Nanny’ star Fran Drescher using the word in the past.
It’s unclear why Bates filed the paperwork without Lebron’s input, but after the creator became aware of it, she shared an emotional reaction with her followers. In a video reposted by The Shade Room, Jools admitted that the “very demure” trademark was “f**king [her] up.”
“Like I just invested so much money and time into this, and I feel like I did it wrong. I feel like I didn’t try hard enough. And like I wanted to do so much for my family…and I just feel like I dropped the ball,” Jools Lebron shared amid tears.
Jools added that she “didn’t have the resources” to move as quickly as Bates did.
On Sunday (August 25), the TikTok creator used her “demure” trend to highlight coming out of her “weekend depression.”
