‘Demure’ has been crowned 2024’s Word of the Year by the renowned online dictionary platform Dictionary.com. The term gained significant traction this year, with the site noting a “meteoric rise in usage” between January and August – an increase of up to 1,200%. This surge was largely credited to TikToker and beauty influencer Jools Lebron, who popularized the phrase “very demure, very mindful” in a series of viral videos.
“You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure, very mindful,” she told her millions of followers. “A lot of you girls go to the interview looking like Marge Simpson and go to the job looking like Patty and Selma. Not demure.” Dictionary.com defines demure as “characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved” and saw it as a counter to the Brat trend, which was marked by party vibes and unapologetic messiness. There was Brat Summer, and then there was Demure Fall.
However, the word gained new meaning through its internet fame, with everything and anything soon being labeled as ‘demure’ and expressing a “quiet confidence.” Its exact meaning became somewhat elusive. Lebron later clarified that her motto was “obviously a joke” and that while being demure traditionally means to be “reserved, modest, and shy,” she wasn't advocating for that lifestyle.
Regardless of the demure vibe, Dictionary.com emphasized how words can be recontextualized. Their choice of ‘demure’ was influenced by an analysis of social media trends, news headlines, and words that moved beyond online discussions into everyday language. Lebron, who is transgender, shared on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live that the fame from her videos helped her amass over 2.3 million followers and finance her transition.
Dictionary.com also unveiled their Word of the Year shortlist, which included ‘Brainrot’, ‘Extreme Weather’, ‘Midwest Nice’, ‘Weird’, and ‘Brat’. Collins Dictionary selected ‘Brat’ as their Word of the Year, while Cambridge Dictionary chose ‘Manifest’ and Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary picked ‘Enshittification’. The Oxford Dictionary is yet to announce its choice.
Source link: https://www.euronews.com
