Its exact meaning is hard to pinpoint, as a word once associated with shyness and modesty has taken on a whole new life through internet fame this year. Another case of TikTok recontextualizing language – which can be both fascinating and confusing.
ADVERTISEMENT‘Demure’ has been named 2024’s Word of the Year by popular online dictionary platform Dictionary.com.
The word went viral this year, with the site saying that it experienced a “meteoric rise in usage” between January and August – up to 1,200%.
This spike was largely attributed to TikToker and beauty influencer Jools Lebron’s popularization of the phrase “very demure, very mindful” in a series of videos.
« You see how I do my make-up for work? Very demure, very mindful,” she told her millions of followers. « A lot of you girls go to the interview looking like Marge Simpson and go to the job looking like Patty and Selma. Not demure. »
Dictionary.com defines the word demure as “characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved” and was seen as the reaction to the Brat trend, which was characterized by partygoing vibes and unapologetic messiness.
There was Brat Summer and then there was Demure Fall.
But the word took on new life through its internet fame and soon, everything and anything could be ‘demure’ and expressing a “quiet confidence”. Its exact meaning is hard to pinpoint.
Lebron later explained that her motto was « obviously a joke » and while the definition of being demure means to be « reserved, modest, and shy », she wasn’t in any way promoting that lifestyle to women.
Whatever the demure vibe was, Dictionary.com highlighted how words can be recontextualized and that its decision to choose ‘demure’ was informed by an analysis of social media trends, news headlines and words that transcended online conversations and seeped into everyday dialogue.
Lebron, who is transgender, shared on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live that the fame from her videos led to amassing more than 2.3 million followers and has helped her finance the rest of her transition.
Dictionary.com also announced their Word of the Year shortlist included ‘Brainrot’, ‘Extreme Weather’, ‘Midwest Nice’, ‘Weird’ and ‘Brat’. The latter was chosen by Collins Dictionary as their Word of the Year, while Cambridge Dictionary went for ‘Manifest’and Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary selected ‘Enshittification’.
We’re waiting on you, Oxford Dictionary…
Additional sources • Dictionary.com
