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Life is moving very quickly for the overnight social media star Jools Lebron, who parlayed her phrase “very demure, very mindful” into one of the biggest social trends of all time earlier this month. The phrase has won her worldwide fans and more than two million TikTok followers.
Now major brands like Netflix, Zillow, and Lyft have jumped on the bandwagon and celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Khloe Kardashian making their own videos using the trend. Unfortunately, one Jefferson A. Bates filed for the trademark to the phrase before Jools could, and for a hot minute looked like she wouldn’t be able to reap the benefits of her phrase. That is, until a good samaritan decided to trademark a version of it herself and transfer it over.
The ‘Very Demure’ trend begins
@joolieannie
On August 2, Jools Lebron posted a video telling people how to handle a white mustache that can happen when sweat and makeup mix together. Jools, who is trans and uses she/her pronouns, ended the video by saying the phrase “Very Demure.”
Three days later, she posted another video about how to be “demure at work” about being mindful, respectful and calm but firm. In another video, she explains how to demurely pick up her ID from a gay bar after she left it there overnight. “Very demure, very mindful. I don’t come to the bar and go drink. I come, I get my ID, and I leave.”
@joolieannie
Other videos include her instructions on how to be demure when boarding a plane. “I don’t rush. I take my spot. I don’t intrude.” Demure is a state of mind, Jools explained, and it harkens to her respect for those who came before her, like trans star Venus Xtravaganza, who appeared in a popular documentary called Paris Is Burning. Being “demure” quickly took on a life of its own.
People started making their own videos and pointing out what was demure and what was not demure, with things like eating huge sandwiches or other food items, or pointing out which objects would be considered demure and which would not.
Then the arguments started about who started the trend and what it was about. Some creators claimed it was them, and not Jools who popularized the phrase.
@mayalabruja #stitch with @🧿 Maya La Bruja 🧿 why cant you be happy for another person being celebrated? So weird… her “proof” was her trying to flex her thinness in a serious manner lol #demure #mindful #cutesy #joolieannie #trapselyna #verydemure #mayalabruja #greenscreen
As the trend grew and grew, more and more people tried to claim it. Regardless, Jools remained graceful about the whole thing and made a video called “How to respond to drama in a demure way.” Everything seemed okay as Jools continued to get more and more popular. Here’s where things take a turn.
The Trademark Fiasco
@joolieannie
It’s pretty hard to explain just how huge this trend got so quickly. The President of the United States even got in on it, and huge brands were all trying to get a piece. Since Jools is the most visible originator of the trend, it would make sense that she should reap the benefits of it.
Unfortunately, Jefferson A. Bates from Washington State filed a trademark for the phrase and in the trademark application said they wanted to use it for “advertising, marketing, and promotional services,” per TMZ.
After learning of this, Jools made a (now-deleted) video sobbing about the whole thing. Here’s a version from X:
Jools LeBron, the creator who popularized “demure,” shares she’s unable to launch merch because her viral phrase was already trademarked:
“I wanted this to do so much for my family and provide for my transition and I just feel like I dropped the ball.” pic.twitter.com/FxTVHfb6Lo
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 24, 2024
“I’ve just invested so much money and time into this and I feel like I did it wrong, like I feel like I didn’t try hard enough,” the newly minted star said. “I wanted this to do so much for my family and provide for my transition and I just feel like I dropped the ball. I don’t even know what I could’ve done better ’cause like I didn’t have the resources.”
This brings us to that good samaritan we were telling you about earlier. A social media personality named Raluca Pop revealed that she went and filed some paperwork to trademark the phrase “very demure very cutesy” and wanted to transfer it to Jools so she could reap the benefits of her new fame and get that merch money she deserves.
@ralucasnotvibingrn PLEASE GET THIS TO @Jools Lebron I WANT TO GIVE HER THIS TRADEMARK😭😭 #verydemure #verydemureverycutesy #verydemuretrend #fyp #fypシ
Jools is the one who “created” and “popularized” the phrase, Pop explained. “Please don’t think that you’re a failure you have gotten so far with just this phrase … and I want you to be able to financially support yourself and your best friend. I know you guys just moved into a new apartment.” This is just an awesome gesture, but it looks like it might not even be necessary.
Does the story have a happy ending? Looks like it will! This week, Jools posted to her TikTok and said: “We got it handled and I’m gonna leave it at that … Mama’s got a team now!”
As for what that means remains to be seen, but it looks like Jools might get her trademark after all. We’ll update when we know more.