Current:Home > FinanceBrat summer is almost over. Get ready for 'demure' fall, a new viral TikTok trend. -TradeWise
Brat summer is almost over. Get ready for 'demure' fall, a new viral TikTok trend.
Benjamin Ashford View
Date:2025-04-07 19:12:02
Brat summer's been fun. But now, it's time to get "demure."
The internet has a new buzzword, aesthetic and mindset − and it comes in stark contrast to this summer's trend of embracing all things messy and brat. (And, if you understand every word of that sentence already, you should probably spend less time on the internet.)
It's called being "demure," an attitude that's now going viral in major part thanks to Jools Lebron, a TikTok personality with 1.2 million followers who's clarified what the trend means and what it stands for in several viral videos.
Basically, being "demure" is all about being cutesy, clean and mindful. It's not drawing attention to yourself. It's not being messy or loud. It's getting things done and going about your day with quiet confidence and gentility. Dressing modestly at work? That's demure. Patiently waiting to get out of your seat until the plane is ready to de-board? So demure.
"You see how I do my makeup at work? Very demure, very mindful," Lebron says in one video with over 10 million views. "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. See how I look very presentable? The way that I came to the interview is the way I go to the job."
What does it mean to be demure?
It's unclear whether the trend is sincere or satirical. Still, people can't stop talking about or embracing it, even if in an ironic way.
Bob the Drag Queen, for instance, posted a TikTok putting on outrageous makeup to Lebron's audio describing a demure makeup look in the workplace. Another TikToker said it was demure to take psychiatric medication.
"You see how I take my antidepressants every day? Very demure, very mindful, so I don't fall into a manic episode, depressive episode," the TikToker says. "Be mindful of why your doctor prescribed you an antidepressant. Very demure."
Being demure isn't just an aesthetic, but a way of life. Lebron has described how to be demure while boarding a plane, responding to drama and ordering food.
"I don't do too much. I do just enough," Lebron says in a video. "I don't go overboard. I don't go underboard. I'm not the basement. I'm not the attic. I'm where you live. I'm very demure."
Brands have gotten in on the trend too. "not standing immediately when the plane lands is so demure," United Airlines commented on TikTok. "vacation responder set to on, very demure," added Google.
Is 'color analysis' real?I put the viral TikTok phenomenon to the test − and was shocked.
Are you demure or brat?
The demure trend stands in stark contrast to the brat trend. Inspired by the Charli XCX album of the same name, "brat" is all about unabashedly embracing your messy side. This includes loud makeup, clubbing, partying and general chaos.
Esthetician Sean Garrette indicated a tide seems to be turning, declaring on X: "brat summer, demure fall."
In a TikTok interview, Charli XCX broke down her definition of the word "brat": “You are just that girl who is a little messy and maybe says dumb things sometimes, who feels herself but then also maybe has a breakdown but parties through it. It is honest, blunt and a little bit volatile. That’s brat.”
'Brat summer' is upon us.What does that mean? Kamala Harris is game for it.
Charli XCX fans aren't throwing tantrums like a badly behaved child; being a brat to them means indulging in pleasure and not concerning yourself with societal expectations. Rather than conforming to the status quo − on matters of aging, clean living or etiquette − brats focus more on having fun, embracing their community and unapologetically embracing individuality.
More:Kamala Harris is embracing 'brat summer.' It could be cool or cringe. It's a fine line.
It's "being confident, putting yourself out there, being out, being about, being the center of attention."
It's pretty much the opposite of demure, which has made some social media users excited for the switch-up. As one X user put it: "This demure lore is way more fun than the brat nonsense"
Contributing: Alyssa Goldberg
veryGood! (41916)
Related
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Lucky Blue Smith's Ex Stormi Bree Reacts to Nara Smith's TikTok Fame
- July 4th food deals: Get discounts at Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Target, Jimmy John's, more
- Cybersecurity breach could delay court proceedings across New Mexico, public defenders office says
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Christina Applegate shares bucket list items with 'the days I have left': 'Shots with Cher!'
- Trader Joe's recalls candles sold nationwide, saying they pose a safety risk
- What is the Nathan's hot dog eating contest record? List of champions, records
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Vaping regulations, DMV changes among bills signed by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Tour de France Stage 5 results, standings: Mark Cavendish makes history
- FACT FOCUS: Trump wasn’t exonerated by the presidential immunity ruling, even though he says he was
- As Hurricane Beryl tears through Caribbean, a drone sends back stunning footage
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- At half a mile a week, Texas border wall will take around 30 years and $20 billion to build
- Minnesota prosecutor provides most detailed account yet of shooting deaths of 3 first responders
- TikTok Executive Govind Sandhu Diagnosed With Stage 4 Cancer at 38
Recommendation
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
Man suffers severe shark bite on South Padre Island during July Fourth celebrations
The best gadgets to have this summer
Kraken's Jessica Campbell makes history as first female full-time NHL assistant coach
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
Penn Badgley and Brittany Snow Weigh in on John Tucker Must Die Sequel Plans
Ellen DeGeneres cancels multiple shows on 2024 comedy tour
This week on Sunday Morning (July 7)