Like many other people part of the internet scrolling population, Oklahoma Christian students have likely noticed an increased use of the words “cutesy” and “demure” in everyday conversation on or offline. Similar to many internet memes, some are unaware of the origins and re-emergence of these “out of fashion” words.
In a video posted by TikTok user @joolieannie, the influencer is seen describing her makeup for work, saying she does not “come to work with a green cut crease… (and does not) look like a clown…” While seemingly innocuous, the video has surpassed reasonable expectations of virality, reaching 4.6 million likes and over 48.4 million views at the time of writing.
Similar to many trends, like the notoriously quoted references to the since-retired short video posting site, “Vine,” these buzzwords have trickled into everyday speech. However, why does this trend of long-forgotten words seem to be leaking even faster into mainstream speech and media?
As covered in the New York Times article “Just How Demure Are You?,” companies use this terminology to help promote their products, like “the restaurant chain Chili’s and New York City Department of Sanitation.” While these companies were specifically referenced by the New York Times, many other brands have dipped their hands into the overuse of these words as well.
In fact, this violently fast trickle-down showcases a shift away from proper speech in place of the consistent utilization of memes in everyday life. Oftentimes, brands are far behind the curve of a trend, posting late enough for Gen Z internet users to scoff at their attempts to appeal to a younger audience. User @joolieannie’s video was posted on Aug. 5, but brands like Owala had a Tik Tok post as late as Aug. 20 utilizing the “not to be named” words. With a turnaround time of 15 days, Owala moved at the speed of corporate light.
The heavy induction of “demure,” “cutesy” and “mindful” seem to be one of the newest additions to this lexicon of brainrot, further demonstrating the stretch and tangibility of the internet’s effects.
Notably, @joolieannie’s “demure,” “cutesy” and “mindful” are not the first words from recent Tik Tok trends to have leaked into common speech. The concept of “brainrot” is a new term which, according to Jessica Roy of the New York Times, “captures the condition of being terminally online, with humor and pathos.” Some prime examples of brainrot trickle-downs would be “girl dinner,” “it’s giving *insert situation of humor or not*,” “skipidi toilet” and “rizz.”
All that being said, is mindful, cutesy, and demure being taken too far? Does the trend need to join “skipidi toilet” in the brainrot graveyard? Some videos utilizing the word, such as famous creator @aspynovard’s videoo, have caused many to think perhaps it should; in this video, the creator references her recent divorce using the trend. Ovard speaks about the situation, saying things such as, “See how I don’t talk about my divorce online? Very demure, very mindful.” Taking this trend even further, user @teachertok365 posted a video of references to the viral video being utilized in their classroom, with posters of a cartoon blue bird with quotes from the original taken into the context of a classroom.
Is cutesy, demure, and mindful here to stay or will it die out as all trends do? And more importantly, are quoted internet memes and brainrot the new language of the modern person?
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