Are South Asians Very Demure, Very Mindful?

Do you see how I am writing this article? Very considerate. Very thoughtful. Do you see how I am representing South Asian voices? Very mindful. Very demure. 

A new sensation has taken over social media. It began in early August when Jools Lebron — who now has over 2 million TikTok followers — posted a TikTok describing how she presents herself as “very mindful, very demure.” “I don’t come to work with a green cut crease. I don’t look like a clown when I go to work,” she said. “I don’t do too much. I am very mindful while I’m at work.” The post has since gone viral, with over 49 million views. 

Netizens have since posted their own interpretations. Even the White House has joined in: “Canceling the student debt of nearly 5 million Americans through various actions. Very mindful. Very demure,” it wrote on X, above a picture of a beaming Joe Biden. But as many have taken to the trend to describe personal pet peeves or praise themselves, South Asians have given the meme their own spin by calling out some of the worst behaviors in their own community.