‘Very demure, very thoughtful’ is the tagline that made Jools Lebron a viral TikTok celebrity. She is now prepared to pursue a different goal.
The influencer talks candidly about overcoming rejection, crying with mascara, and becoming Dictionary.com’s 2024 Word of the Year.
This past summer, Jools Lebron was working as a cashier in Chicago when she was surprised by a question from a coworker: “You’re, like, that super-famous TikToker, right?”
Lebron was a well-known figure in the plus-size beauty industry at the time, but her career had taken a nosedive due to a string of disappointments. She was forced to work as a cashier to make ends meet after brand collaborations and deals dried up.
Lebron told Yahoo Entertainment, “I felt depressed like brands had blacklisted me in the beauty community.” Her confidence began to erode as customers began to recognize her at the register. “I felt like I f***ed up like I did something wrong or made the wrong move.”
That changed one day as Lebron sat by herself in her car during a work break, tears smudging her cheeks with mascara. She was taken aback and laughed when she saw someone looking in. She was motivated by the humorous moment to put on makeup again, pick up her phone, and create a string of TikTok videos that would eventually transform her life.
“Look at how I get to work. In an Aug. 2 essay describing her approach to business style, she joked, “Very demure.” She spoke her now-famous quip a few days later: “You see how I do my makeup for work? “Very modest, very considerate,” in a video uploaded on August 5. “I don’t arrive at work looking like a clown. I don’t do a lot. I pay close attention at work.
With a combined total of around 65 million views and 6 million likes on TikTok, both videos went viral online. Overnight, Lebron’s life changed.
“Very demure, very mindful” had such a deep effect that Dictionary.com named it its 2024 Word of the Year.
Lebron, who currently has 2.3 million TikTok followers, declared that she is done trying to live up to the strict standards of the beauty industry. Rather, she is utilizing her viral celebrity to motivate people who, like her, have been underappreciated.
She declared, “I’m just going to post whatever the f*** I want.” “I will no longer play ‘Little Miss Beauty Bitch.'”
“Go after your dreams.”
Lebron found herself traveling to Los Angeles a few days after going viral in order to make an appearance on the August 19 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, which was co-hosted by RuPaul. She needed her store manager’s approval to make it happen.
Lebron claimed, “I received a message from my manager saying, ‘You know what, diva, I don’t think you should worry about going in today.'” He advised her to “go chase your dreams.”
She remarked, “It feels like such a movie moment.” “I’m leading the life of my dreams! I feel as though I will never be able to pay back this karmic debt.
Lebron claimed that after years of feeling shunned by cosmetic brands, the attention he received from celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Lindsay Lohan, and even NASA as demureness gained popularity felt like “validation.”
As a transgender woman, she said that this is the first time major brands are employing her as Jools rather than as a “trans” or “plus-size” influencer.
She remarked, “They’re hiring me because I’m funny.” And I want my trans divas to have that as well. Not simply because they fit a box, but because they are truly remarkable, I want them to be included. They shouldn’t just be the token individual, in my opinion.
“I began feeling like a puppet.”
She is quick to acknowledge that not all the glitter comes with being famous, even though “dumb” was named Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year—a title Lebron and her newly hired management team are currently working to copyright.
I began to get the impression that nobody I had met was very interested in me as a person. During those early days of viral fame, she claimed that they were drawn to “demure.” It began to feel like a puppet to me. Nobody gives you advice on how to deal with going viral like this. There’s no manual.
During her ascent, Lebron sought support from others, such as online celebrity Tana Mongeau, who Lebron said offered to pay for her top surgery—the removal or implantation of breasts as a kind of gender-affirming care—out of friendship.
The tale of Lebron still revolves around representation. She stated in a TikTok video uploaded on August 13 that she was able to “finance the rest of my [gender] transition” because of the popularity of her viral fame.
Lebron told Yahoo that she hasn’t shared information about her transition online because she is getting ready to chronicle it in a series that will air in 2025 on an unidentified streaming service. She said it would be very personal, but she would not give any specifics.
She described the jaw-dropping surprise she wanted to give by saying, “I think the divas are going to be gagged.”
Lebron is currently enjoying the moment and seeking to re-establish a connection with her fanbase through various channels, including Twitch streams and possible red-carpet hosting engagements.
She declared, “I’m living the life of my dreams.” Before this incident, I worked as a cashier. You can succeed if I can. Never give up on yourself.