A chronically online creative’s very demure and mindful guide on riding cultural waves authentically

Do you see how I’m starting this article? Very mindful. Very demure. I’m not doing too much — a bit of commentary, a bit of analysis. I’m being very mindful of your attention span. But you know what’s not demure? The whiplash I’ve gotten from the rapid and ubiquitous cultural reset that occurred last week. Yet, while I still mourn the death of brat summer, brands have all too eagerly moved on to capitalise on TikTok’s latest brain rot. 

Let’s start from the beginning.

6 August, 2024.  It was a day like any other.  And then Jools Lebron posted a TikTok and the world would not be the same. In the first week, growth was rapid, but demure one might say. It spread organically amongst creators across social media. Sometimes used in earnest, sometimes very unseriously, it certainly kept the people guessing; for every ‘demure’ post, there was a commenter confused on the term. 

And then suddenly, over a weekend, the trend reached fever pitch. Every brand and every celebrity seemed to be jumping on the bandwagon (often with little regard for relevance or authenticity - I’ll get to that later). Viral videos were flooded with “demure” comments from blue-ticked accounts, so much so they resembled social media manager group chats. It’s such an influx of branded and non-branded content that my internal monologue starts every thought with “You see how I’m -”.  

A "brat" summer hangover.

The popularity of “demure” should not be unexpected. Pop culture is reactionary. And after a brat summer of unrestrained expression—of late-night parties, embracing chaos and cigarettes—it was only natural for audiences to crave something opposite—something grounded, a return to idealism.

But was brat truly ready to die?  Perhaps not organically. Yes, seasons were changing, and yes, we’re constantly seeking new expressions and identities, but instead of evolving into a more autumnal aesthetic (the signs were there), we’ve moved on to the next trend. Was perhaps, then, the demise of brat accelerated by brands oversaturating our feeds with performative brat imagery, commercialising its aesthetic, in doing so, diluting its originality, devaluing its very essence, and consequently leaving us craving something new and authentic again? 

The trend cycle

Before brat, we were adorning everything with bows and called it coquette. Last year we had a rat-girl summer in response to our clean-girl era. This trend cycle isn’t new, but its rapid acceleration is alarming. Brands have seamlessly transitioned from brat to demure overnight, often without analysing whether their values actually resonate with the broader culture around the trend. 

Internet culture is nuanced. And while at face value, demure seems aligned with its dictionary definition, it’s more than that. It’s more of an attitude than an aesthetic. It’s genuine, but it’s also inherently ironic and satirical. It’s inclusive. It allows room for mess and imperfection. You can be presentably hungover. Mindfully assertive. 

The takeaway for brands

Brands must understand the nuances of pop culture or risk appearing performative and out of touch.  Because at this rate, "demure" seems well on its way to reaching a stage of oversaturation in a fraction of the time it took "brat", and we’ll have to stand by as, yet another creative movement must fall before it’s had room to develop (rip brat) fully. 

Popularity swings on a pendulum. It’s up to brands to understand what they stand for and whether they can be meaningfully relevant to a present cultural atmosphere. Otherwise, be mindful, be demure, and look out for when the pendulum will swing back again.

This article was written by Isabel Fang, junior art director, Monks.