The TikTok star who popularized the viral trend “very understated, very thoughtful” broke down in tears when she revealed that someone else had trademarked the phrase before she could.
Chicago-based content creator Jools LeBron became a sensation earlier this month after posting a video showing off her makeup for work, describing her look as “very understated” and “very intentional.”
The video quickly took the internet by storm, racking up over 47 million views in just a few weeks. Jools became an instant star and sparked a social media frenzy, with people all over the world using the term in their own posts, videos and comments.
Now that she has become so successful, Jools has announced that she plans to create merchandise with her words written on it.
Unfortunately, that is no longer possible, she says, because an unknown person has rushed to trademark the term she coined.
The TikTok star who popularized the viral sound “very subdued, very thoughtful” burst into tears when she revealed that someone else had trademarked the phrase before she could
In a now-deleted TikTok shared this weekend, Jools sobbed She explained that she had invested “so much money and time” into the merchandise, but her plans fell through.
The rising star, who is transgender, said she hopes to use the profits she makes from the show to “do as much as I can for her family” and “provide for her transition.”
“This merch situation is really driving me crazy,” she said through her tears. “I’ve put so much money and time into it and I feel like I’ve done it wrong.
“I feel like I didn’t try hard enough. I wanted to do this so badly for my family and take care of my transition, but I feel like I dropped the ball. I feel like I blew it and someone else has it now.”
Jools added that she “didn’t know what she could have done better” as she “didn’t have the resources” to apply for a trademark.
“I’m just sitting here in bed feeling so fucking bad about all of this,” she said.
According to legal documents filed by the Today show, a Washington man named Jefferson Bates filed an application for the trademark earlier this month.
“See how I do my makeup for work? Very understated, very thoughtful,” Jools said in the original video, posted on August 2, as she sat in her car.
Chicago native Jools LeBron became a sensation earlier this month after posting a video showing off her makeup, describing the look as “understated” and “conscious.”
‘I don’t come to work with a green cut crease. I don’t look like a clown when I go to work.
‘I don’t do that much, I’m very mindful when I work. See how presentable I look?’
Since the video became popular, many celebrities have used her sound for their own TikToks, including Jennifer Lopez, Olivia Rodrigo, RuPaul and Penn Badgely.
Jools, who now has more than two million followers, was even asked to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“I think demure is a mindset. I was crazy and out of control, and then I found some demurity,” she explained during her visit to the show. “And with that came the success.”
Jools also hinted that she had struck a deal with Netflix, sharing a photo of herself outside the streaming service’s offices on TikTok last week.
The star (recently seen on Jimmy Kimmel Live), who is transgender, said she hopes to use the profits she makes from it to “do so much for her family” and “provide for her transition.”
After Jools voiced her displeasure over the trademark controversy, people flooded X, formerly Twitter, with messages of support
“Stay tuned my divas,” she wrote.
“She is the moment,” Netflix responded in the comments.
After Jools voiced her displeasure over the trademark controversy, people sent X, formerly Twitter, a massive message of support.
‘Sorry, but if my money doesn’t go straight to Jools, [for the merch] then I don’t believe it. Jefferson Bates is such a loser for doing that to her,’ someone scathingly responded.
“I’m about to boycott any merchandise I see with ‘Demure’ on it as the proceeds don’t go to Jools,” someone else announced.
“Oh Jefferson, we’re gonna get you,” another user added.
“No, this is so unfair. She literally popularized this term,” a fourth tweet read.
A fifth said: ‘What a bad person to steal someone else’s slogan and trademark it.’