A new TikTok trend has taken social media by storm, with Gen Z using the phrase “very reserved, very attentive” to describe everything from the way they dress to the way they eat.
The trend is said to have been sparked by a viral TikTok video by American content creator Jools Lebron (known on the platform as @joolieannie). In the satirical clip, Jools urges people to dress “wisely” – the phrase has become so popular that people are predicting that what Gen Z has dubbed “Brat Summer” will be followed by “Demure Fall.”
In the clip, which now has nearly four million views and 1.5 million likes, the self-proclaimed “fierce diva” encourages women to dress “reservedly, modestly and respectfully in the workplace.”
“You see how I do my makeup for work? Very reserved. Very careful,” she said in the video.
“I don’t come to work with a green fold. I don’t look like a clown when I go to work. I don’t overdo it. I’m very attentive when I’m at work. You see how presentable I am? The way I came to the interview is the way I go to work.”
In a video by a British user where she is pictured wearing a hoodie in bed, one person said: “Remember girls, we may be rotting, but we can still be good.”
Another TikTok creator made a video in which she describes eating donuts in a “very modest” way.
She continued, “A lot of you girls go to interviews looking like Marge Simpson and go to work looking like Patty and Selma. Not reserved. I’m very modest. I’m very attentive. You see my shirt? Just a little raggedy, not my cho cho. Pay attention to why they hired you.”
“Here’s your reality check, diva,” she added. “What name would you like me to give you?”
The clip went viral and Gen Z made videos containing the words “very reserved, very attentive.”
The videos are getting increasingly bizarre, with Jools herself dubbing the explosive trend “demury darkness” to describe the strange ways in which users have described doing literally anything, from eating apple slices to wearing deodorant, as “very prudish.”
There seems to be no limit to what can be described as ‘reserved and self-conscious’, with Gen Z using it to glamorise activities ranging from ‘bed rotting’ (where individuals spend an extended period of time in bed scrolling on their phone) to eating chocolate cake or going for a walk.
After the satirical clip captured the imagination of Gen Z, Jools began creating more content around the ‘modest’ trend, creating more videos instructing fans on how to be ‘modest’ in a plethora of scenarios, many of them absurd.
The original creator of the trend, Jools Lebron, joked about using deodorant “in a modest way”
In the clip, self-proclaimed “fierce diva” Jools Lebron (pictured) encourages women to dress “wisely, modestly and respectfully in the workplace.”
One user joked about what she is like “at the pool”, describing herself as behaving in a very reserved and self-conscious manner, as part of the current trend
Another designer describes eating an apple as “demure.” The trend is thought to reference the old “clean girl aesthetic” that dominated social media and encouraged women to embody class and sophistication.
Describing “the darkness of modesty”, Jools noted that she had seen the abundance of videos made in the name of “modesty”, but was aware of their comedic value.
She said: “Every prudish video is just a reference to myself, that’s the whole joke.
“People think, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t judge people based on how they show up to work, like, girl, I’m judging myself!'”
In one clip, she tells her fans how to “modestly” thank hotel staff by buying them a tray of doughnuts, as well as how to have a “modest” midnight snack with a “low-calorie” option.
Jools even posted clips of herself describing being “reluctant” in public by fans who repeated the viral phrase to her.
Others, since published by Jools, show “how to get your nails done while being modest”, how to visit New York “in a modest way” and how to “have a nice and modest drink at the airport”.
In a clip that has been viewed four million times, almost as many as the original video, a British mother joked about eating a slice of chocolate cake with cream in a “reserved and conscious” way.
In the video, she wears a hoodie to bed and says, “Remember girls, we may be rotten, but we can still be good.”
“When I’m rotting in bed, I like to keep it very elegant, very attentive and very discreet. I like to keep it clean and the snacks green, very coordinated, thoughtful and discreet.
“I’m not like other girls, I like to take a shower and then put on clean clothes because every day of rotting in bed deserves a new outfit.
Commenting on the video when it was first released, one user correctly predicted: “Demure is going to take the internet by storm.”
“The videos are very melodic, the way she speaks asks to become a sound.”
Since the video was posted, clips featuring the trend have been viewed millions of times.
The now-viral word has become so popular that some predict it will replace “brat” as the sensation of the year.
Some people think that videos that glorify eating cakes, walking around and rotting in bed “modestly” are making fun of the old trend that opposed “clean” values.
Since the satirical clip became a descriptor for Gen Z, Jools herself has begun creating more content around the “reserved” trend, creating other videos instructing fans on how to be “modest” in a plethora of scenarios, some of them absurd.
The trend is said to reference the old “clean girl aesthetic” that dominated social media and encouraged women to embody class and sophistication.
Some people think that videos that glorify eating cakes, walking around and rotting in bed “modestly” are making fun of the old trend that opposed “clean” values.
In another video, a user reveals “how to be reserved and take your antidepressants.”
By taking one of their pills, the creator says it is to “not fall into a manic episode.”
The word, which has gone viral, has become so popular that some are predicting it will replace “brat” as the sensation of the year. One user wrote, “Brat summer, demure fall,” predicting that the upcoming season will be dominated by even more “demure”-related content.
