Jools Lebron is an American TikToker. Her August 2024 videos about being "demure" went viral that month and acquired several million views, with multiple celebrities, companies, agencies, and brands using the phrase in their online marketing and social media posts. She attracted further coverage after appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and after unrelated parties tried to trademark phrases related to the phrase. "Demure", popularized by LeBron, became Dictionary.com's word of the year in 2024.[1]
Jools Lebron | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Internet celebrity |
| Years active | 2023–present |
TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 2.2 million |
| Likes | 130.7 million |
Last updated: November 12, 2024 | |
Career
edit
Lebron worked as a cashier at Mariano's in Illinois.[2] She posted make-up tutorial videos and posted content of her Bratz doll collection to TikTok.[3] In May 2023, she partnered with Patrick Starrr on a beauty campaign.[3]
On August 2, 2024, Lebron uploaded a 17-second video titled "How to be Demure at Work" to TikTok, which went viral on the platform.[4][5] A further video, featuring Lebron giving tips on how to behave that way at work, also went viral; by August 20, the two videos had amassed over 7,000,000 and 34,000,000 views respectively.[5] Celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Olivia Rodrigo, RuPaul, Joe Jonas and Penn Badgley have made social media videos using the audio bits from Lebron's original videos.[6] Companies, agencies, and brands including NASA have also used the phrase in their online marketing and social media posts.[7] By August 25, 2024, her following had grown to two million people.[2] In a subsequent TikTok, she announced that she was able to pay for her gender transition due to the success of her videos.[8]
On August 19, 2024, Lebron made an appearance as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[5]
Trademark applications
editIn August 2024 TMZ reported that a man from Washington filed to trademark Lebron's catchphrase "very demure, very mindful" with the intention to use it for marketing, promotion, and advertising.[9] Following this incident, and several other separate incidents where individuals unrelated to Lebron attempted to file trademarks related to the word 'demure', she filed for two herself.[10]
Personal life
editLebron is a trans woman of Puerto Rican heritage.[5] She stated in 2024 that watching online content made by transgender social media influencers Gigi Gorgeous, La Demi, and Nikita Dragun helped her come out.[3]
References
edit- ^ https://time.com/7178900/demure-word-of-the-year-2024/
- ^ a b Wood, Becca (August 25, 2024). "'Very demure' catchphrase filed for trademark by Washington State man, not influencer who popularized trend". Today. New York City. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c Simpson, Kaitlin (August 14, 2024). "Who Is Jools Lebron? 5 Things to Know About the 'Very Demure' TikToker". Us Weekly.
- ^ Novak, Analisa; Perez, Karina (August 19, 2024). ""Very demure" TikToker Jools Lebron explains the viral trend and how to embody her "very mindful" example - CBS News". CBS News. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Jools Lebron, TikTok Star Behind 'Demure' Trend Makes Late Night Debut". People. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "'Demure' TikToker Jools Lebron Says She Can 'Finance the Rest of' Her Gender Transition After Going Viral Online". People. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ Rufo, Yasmin (August 24, 2024). "'Very demure, very mindful' - are we missing the joke of viral trend?". BBC. London, England. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ MacCary, Julia (August 17, 2024). "'Demure' Content Creator Can Pay for Gender Transition After the Trend Goes Viral: 'TikTok Has Changed My Life'". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ "Trans TikToker Jools Lebron in tears after someone else trademarked her viral phrase 'very demure'". PinkNews. United Kingdom. August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ "What you need to know about Jools Lebron's 'very demure, very mindful' trademark war". The Independent. September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.