August 2, 2024: When demure stopped meaning demure.
"very demure, very mindful"
-- Jools Lebron
Admittedly, the opening comment of this writeup is exaggerated for effect. The definition of demure has actually been augmented, not replaced. It seems that Jools Lebron, a TikTok beauty influencer, inadvertently coined a phrase that went viral and became a meme, a catchphrase, and a neologism, as well as Dictionary.com's word of the year for 2024 with her "How to be Demure at Work" video.
In current common usage, especially within (but not limited to) the LGBTQ+ community, demure has the added definition of "being confident, considerate, and cutesy." In short, and as a way of life, don't do too much with one's makeup and hair; be presentable in conservative situations; and, no matter what, be neither skibidi nor Ohio.