How going 'demure' helped this TikTokker pay for the rest of her gender transition
Becoming a viral sensation changed her life.
She living her dreams. Very demure.
Seemingly overnight, everyone went “demure.”
This is thanks to a video posted on Aug 2nd by a woman named Jools Lebron, where she showed folks how she preps to arrive at work in a “very demure, very mindful” way by essentially taking care of her appearance—makeup done, wig laid, smell-good stuff spritzed. You get the idea. No sloppy sweats for this gal.
Pretty soon, due to her initial clip’s popularity, Lebron began spinning up ways to go do all kinds of things demurely. Turns out, everything from ordering food to saying “no” to drama can be done in a “demure” way.
This would start a full blown “demure” movement. People began showing their own “demure interpretations of everyday events. One person, for example, shared her “demure” book reading strategy.
“I don’t use random items like receipts as bookmarks. No, no, no. I use a real bookmark, very cutesie, very demure,” she said. “I don’t crane my neck left and right just to see the words in the corners. No, I crack the spine and now I can read comfortably. Very demure, very mindful.”
Meanwhile, someone else apparently eats Chipotle “demurely” by eating half her burrito bow so that the other half remains perfectly intact.
Even celebrities like Penn Badgely from “You,” Olivia Rodrigo and Jennifer Lopez joined in.
@jlo Very demure … very mindful 🩵
And the best part is that beyond getting fifteen minutes of viral fame, Lebron is now able to make her gender transition dreams come true.
On Wednesday, Aug. 14, Lebron, who identifies as transgender, shared that becoming a viral sensation has taken her from being a cashier to getting flown across the country to host events, and finally being able to finance the rest of her transition.
Encouraging others to express themselves online, Lebron said “maybe you should make the videos…TikTok changed my life,” while quipping “I finally said it without crying!”
@joolieannie #fyp #demure
“You see how she never gave up? Very demure,” one person wrote, while another echoed, “See how she encourages clothes towards success? Very mindful, very demure, very community minded.”
“Hope your transition goes smoothly and very demure,” wrote another person.
And in a subsequent video, Lebron didn’t succeed at holding back tears as she shared how “overwhelmed” with gratitude for the positive response she’s received.
According to Merriam Webster, the word “demure” first began as a descriptive term for someone modest or reserved, and/or naturally shy. But over time, the definition has shifted slightly to be more synonymous with coy. A demure kind of modesty is more of an affectation than a sincere expression.
And now, thanks to Lebron, “demure” has evolved to mean something else—not least of which being the special connection it has to her trans identity.
@joolieannie #fyp #demure @OAKCHA @Paul | Fragrance Influencer
"When I did start making TikToks, I found more girls like me. I found girls who are plus size who are trans, who are having the same experiences that come uniquely with that set of combinations," she told "CBS Mornings."
For Lebron, “demure” is about so much more than a classy appearance. What’s more, she hopes it continues to be used as a mantra anyone can use to bring a little more positivity to themselves, and to the collective.
"Your demure is what it means to you. It's being mindful and considerate of the people around you, but also of yourself and how you present to the world."
To all folks just trying to be their most demure self—keep at it. You never know who you’ll inspire with your authenticity.
A Generation Jones teenager poses in her room.Image via Wikmedia Commons
An office kitchen.via 
An angry man eating spaghetti.via 
At least it wasn't Bubbles. 
You just know there's a person named Whiskey out there getting a kick out of this. 
An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.