It’s only been three weeks since Jools Lebron went megaviral for her Demure TikTok, with hundreds of millions of views. Since then, “demure and mindful” has become household slang, quoted by celebrities like Kim Kardashian and J.Lo, to The White House and Kamala’s PR team. Brat Summer became Demure Autumn in a flash.
After Jools appeared with RuPaul on Jimmy Kimmel, the brand deals poured in. She’s done ads for Verizon, Zillow, Sephora, Netflix and Southwest. Folks usually bristle at the sale of Queer culture but judging by the comment section, most are cheering her on, especially after she stated this will fund her transition.
The Demure trend is a perfect example of Queer alchemy, transforming a negative into camp and politics. In this case, the anxiety of taking up space as a Queer/Trans POC becomes an ironic declaration. Delivered by Jools in planes, hotels and restaurants, “demure and mindful” acknowledges this discomfort but doesn't center victimhood or the oppressor. Instead it becomes a campy iteration of the old protest chant "We're here, we're Queer, get used to it!"
So much of American pop culture comes from the Black and Brown dolls (tea, shade, slay), but our Trans pioneers rarely get the credit, let alone the coins. Jools deserves all our cheers. When the brand deals dry up and people roll their eyes at the slang, “demure and mindful” will remain in the Queer lexicon.
It's wonderful to witness how our language is written.
More on Queer culture and online celebrity in my book POST.
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