"Very demure," very viral: The TikTok trend driving the biz bandwagon

• The video Lebron first shared Aug. 5 modeling her "demure" eyeliner and face-framing braids has picked up over 45 million views as of Saturday.
• The hashtag "#demure" has been shared over 400,000 times on TikTok, according to the platform's analytics.
• The creator, who identifies as a trans woman, shared a video earlier this month reflecting on the journey stemming from the 38-second-long post — which brought the cashier/beauty influencer from the phone screen to late-night and morning television — saying she can now finance the rest of her transition.

What she's saying: To Merriam-Webster, "demure" means being reserved or modest. But to the internet — and to Lebron — it's up to each person to find "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," she told "CBS Mornings," characterizing the mantra as more than just an aesthetic but a way of life.
• Being "demure" can mean avoiding flashy neon eyeshadow palettes, but it can also mean choosing poise over aggression and class over crass.
• "Demurity is my purity," Lebron said on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, guest hosted by RuPaul.

Zoom out: And for brands, the sensation became a highly sought-after doorway into viral content and consumer attention: Goodbye, brat summer — hello, demure autumn.

• Lebron has already partnered with several brands, repping Lyft with a "cutesy" ride and joining drink company Synergy for a "diva taste test."
• Verizon also capitalized on the "mindful" moment, with the beauty influencer testing out the company's program letting consumers trade in, as Lebron described them, "crusty" phones for "demure" ones.
• United Airlines was one of several companies who borrowed sounds from Lebron's posts, syncing a recent video to the creator's voice, where she described the "very demure" way she boards a plane.

The intrigue: A number of celebrities have dabbled in demureness as well, from Jennifer Lopez to Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Yes, but: Brand strategist Sarah Walsh warns that while the trend is still at its peak, "cutesy" could soon become "cringe" if it's overused by businesses bending past their brand to fit in.

• "So many brands are unfortunately not very mindful and just so desperately want to be a part of the conversation and to be relevant and to go viral, that they miss the mark," Walsh said, predicting "shorter and shorter" life cycles for future trends.
• But she continued: "I just wish that brands would do more self reflection and see these wonderful women doing incredible things shaping culture and have more of these people representing their brands."

The big picture: The hype that "demure" sparked has been quite the opposite of the word — it's in-your-face, it's everywhere.

• The rise of the party girl aesthetic came with brat summer, and now, the subtle, natural essence of fall has taken over with demure autumn.
• And like the changing of the seasons, trends may not stick around for long — but even if the viral buzz fades away, at least fans added a new word to their vocabulary (how very mindful).

Go deeper: The internet's obsession with "brat summer" has reached Tim Kaine