‘Very demure' catchphrase filed for trademark by Washington State man, not influencer who popularized trend

The viral phrase “very demure, very mindful” has been filed for trademark by a Washington State man named Jefferson Bates.The expression was popularized online by TikTok creator Jools Lebron. According to legal documents obtained by NBC News, Bates filed the request in Washington in an attempt to trademark the expression, “Very Demure .. Very Mindful ...” Lebron is not named on the application.TODAY.com has reached out to both Bates and Lebron for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.The phrase has taken over the internet since Lebron shared a TikTok video Aug. 2, showing how she styles her hair and makeup for work. In the clip, which has garnered nearly 47 million views, she describes her appearance as “very demure, very mindful.”Since the viral video dropped, Lebron has released several other versions of the trend using a similar vocal cadence, calling her looks and choices demure, mindful and cutesy.The Chicago-based content creator, who now has over 2 million TikTok followers, has skyrocketed to internet fame as she continues to share videos, leading her to attend events with makeup artist Patrick Ta and appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Aug. 19.RuPaul Charles, the host of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” was hosting the show that night and asked what was going through her mind when she recorded the now-viral video.“Well, apparently the trauma that comes from working a retail job gets enough to you that you start saying demure on the internet,” she replied, giving a shoutout to Mariano’s, a grocery store chain in Illinois, calling it “very cutesy, very demure.”In the same interview, Lebron described the word demure in her own words.“I feel like demure is like a mindset. I used to be crazy and out of control, and then I found some ‘demurity,’” she said. “And along with that came success!”On Aug. 21, Lebron shared two images on TikTok standing outside of Netflix’s headquarters, writing, “Stay tuned my divas.”The official account for Netflix responded to the post, writing, “she is the MOMENT.”In another video, Lebron shared the impact for popularizing the trend has had on her and her loved ones’ lives.“My bestie has been deeply struggling with her mental health because of her living situation and thanks to demure I’m able to rent her my extra bedroom in my new apartment,” Lebron wrote over the video. “We’re leaving the hood baby, you’re safe now.” This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY here: Congrats, Lea Michele! Former ‘Glee’ star welcomes baby girl and reveals her nameMacklemore says he canceled Dubai show over UAE arming Sudan paramilitary forcesJenna Ortega says Winona Ryder made her feel ‘really beautiful and special’ after finding fameThis story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.