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INGENUE Word Inspiration

11/13/2017

Ingenue beauty is a beauty that's feminine, but not sexy. It's childlike and innocent and sweet.

Because "ingenue" isn't a word that's widely used in common parlance, I've searched for other words that seemed to have meanings closest to "ingenue" as I define it in my style system. One word that worked well is "vernal" -- i.e., "springlike."

There's a lot of overlap between the Ingenue style identity and spring, both as a season of the year and as a color palette.

Light Spring in particular (a.k.a. Early Spring, significantly) is known for colors that also are iconic to Ingenue: very lights yellows, pinks, oranges, purples, and blues. Candy colors, you could call them.

Ingenue is sweetness personified. Ingenue style details, in fact, overlap a great deal with a confectioner' or baker's aesthetic: one sees a profusion of detail, small circles, curlicues, flowers, hearts, and scallops. These style elements signal "sweetness" to us.

Ingenue lines are fine and thin, never thick or coarse. Ingenue fabrics are light, not heavy.

Ingenue beauty is (feminine) childlike beauty. The small, round circles one sees in Ingenue style reflect a child's round eyes. An Ingenue finish in makeup is often a dewy finish -- that echoes the dewy eyes of a child, and also dew on flower petals in the morning. (Morning is to a day as spring is to a year and childhood is to a life, of course.)

Ingenue style has a quality of innocence or naivete. Can we reclaim that so that it's a positive concept and not a negative one? After all, innocence includes sincerity, which is certainly virtuous.

Ingenue patterns are simple, not difficult to comprehend (as Ethereal patterns might be.) Ingenue motifs are earnest, not witty or sarcastic (as Gamine motifs might be.) Ingenue innocence ought to be celebrated, not denigrated.

"Pure" yields a lot of associated words that are useful for Ingenues. An Ingenue look is certainly clean; dirt on the knees of one's pants could look apropos on a Natural, but not an an Ingenue. (Is that why I, as a Natural blend, feel particularly pretty when I've been working in the yard? Hmm.)

And discussing the word "pure" brings us to this idea of the Ingenue as "virginal." Whoa! Let's get into that.

Despite the fact that "virgin" is a fraught concept, I do think it's important to emphasize that Ingenue's feminine beauty is "virginal," not sexy.

I don't want to reinforce the outdated idea that women should be defined by their virginity or lack thereof.

But perhaps we can agree that there's a kind of feminine beauty that includes an erotic quality, and a kind that does not...? The first one is Romantic; the second one is Ingenue.

If you can see that a style element is traditionally feminine, but you're not sure whether it's Ingenue or Romantic, this difference ^ can help you decide.

42 Comments

Mary Ellen

11/13/2017 12:45:16 pm

Rachel, how many of us are ingénue with other combinations? Are very many women purely ingénue. I was delighted to discover with your tools that I am a natural ingénue. I feel like the two mixed together very well.

11/13/2017 02:40:03 pm

Hi Mary Ellen--I don't know if this site's ever conducted a poll on style essences (that could be fun!), but I'm an Ingenue-Natural-Dramatic, so now you know another one :).

Rachel

11/13/2017 03:24:03 pm

Mary Ellen, this is an interesting question. I'm going to go back through my analyses and crunch some numbers.

Rosetta

11/14/2017 10:53:50 am

Ah, finally one of my essences, I was waiting for that :) (I'm a Romantic-Ethereal-Ingenue with some Natural.)

It makes total sense that Ingenue is non-erotic female beauty, unlike Romantic, but what about those women that are both, like me? Part of our beauty has an erotic quality and part doesn't? ;)

(Yes, I know it doesn't quite work like that, but that part just left me slightly puzzled. OTOH, I do have a good idea how to manifest all of my essences coherently, even have my own Pinterest board about that. :))

11/14/2017 04:18:27 pm

Hi, Rosetta!

As a combination of Romantic and INgenue, instead of finding some happy medium between the two, you want to incorporate elements of each -- sexy and virginal both. This is an unusual and captivating kind of beauty; Marilyn Monroe was famous for this.

11/15/2017 01:15:59 pm

Thanks Rachel; I think I'm doing ok in incorporating elements of each (plus my other essences), though it's not always possible in the same outfit ;) And whoah, Marilyn Monroe certainly is a great style icon (and a lot to live up to)! :)

11/17/2017 10:18:58 pm

Could an Ingenue pull off flirty or coy?

Abir

11/19/2017 08:20:00 pm

KC's question is really good. I also wonder if ingenue can pull off flirty or coy. I would love to know. Thanks!

11/20/2017 02:40:00 am

Isn't flirty & coy, or at least coyly flirty, Ingenue territory par excellence? ;D So to me, the answer is clear.

Mandy

11/18/2017 06:07:03 pm

Hi Rosetta, I have the same essences as you, Romantic Ethereal and some natural.
I would love to see your pinterest board if it's public and you don't mind sharing! Do you any insights for me on how the natural plays into the other three? Maybe you understand this better than me. I am glad you asked that question also about the 2 essences seeming to contradict each other in theory, I was wondering the same thing.

11/18/2017 06:41:41 pm

* Correction to comment above- I meant to say: I have Romantic Ethereal Ingenue and some natural

11/20/2017 02:47:14 am

Mandy, here's my Pinterest board: https://fi.pinterest.com/melinahmk/romantic-ethereal-ingenue-natural/

I hope you'll find it helpful, although it's quite a personal board in that it depicts how I myself manifest & combine my essences - someone else may have a different idea :) And I have pinned only the kinds of clothing I actually wear, at least sometimes - I tried to exclude those that I like the look or idea of, but wouldn't actually ever wear! :)

(Except for the medieval items, which are mainly for inspiration, I don't normally walk around in those, though if any event requires dressing up in a fancy dress or the like, those are what I'd wear. ;))

11/20/2017 09:30:47 pm

Thank you Rosetta! I love to have any ideas that are applicable to me and your board is great because, yes, it must be stuff we can actually wear which I've been struggling with as a REI with Natural. I am now following your board and I have one too of Romantic Ethereal Ingenue, but it's not practical like yours which I think makes yours better! It's nice to talk to someone else with my type. I think your page has a lot of perfect wearable looks! I have a dash of classic too which is interesting that you have the similar mix as me : )

11/20/2017 09:50:12 pm

Sorry to bother you with another question, but just curious if you use the Romantic Ethereal Ingenue and the Romantic Ethereal Natural style ids? I have thought about doing that to balance the natural in there but not sure what others do.

11/23/2017 05:02:22 am

Mandy, thank you so much for your compliments! :) Happy to be of help. As to your question, I'm not sure in what way you meant, if I use use the Romantic Ethereal Ingenue and the Romantic Ethereal Natural style IDs? If you meant that have I studied both boards, sure, a lot, and there are elements in both that appeal to me :) The boards have also helped me to clarify my 4th style ID, as for a while I thought it was C, but comparing all the relevant boards (all possible combinations of all those IDs) clearly proved me that N is my 4th, not C (i.e. any combinations with C just didn't suit me as much as those with N). But I still kept the "dash" of C ;)

11/25/2017 06:21:42 pm

Hi Rosetta,
I was meaning since I am a REI with some natural and classic too, I have looked at the REN board and others to get ideas for how to add natural to my REI style, but it's hard to know how to incorporate natural with the other 3 main essences. It's a lot to put together into one outfit so I'm guessing the best way to do this may be to switch between REN and REI guidelines for different outfits instead of using 4 essences at the same time but I'm not sure since there are no tips for 3 essence types with additional essences to incorporate, I don't know how to incorporate all 4. I see several types I can wear but maybe it's better just to stick to one because it's easier. I noticed you did a great job of incorporating all 4 of your essences and a little classic too, which is my goal. There's a lot to take in and understand when it comes to blended style types! Thanks again for your input!

11/14/2017 05:51:46 pm

Yay ingenue! I've been looking forward to this post. I think I'm a light spring, too! It really suits my ECI identity. I actually had wondered if I just thought I was light spring because it matches my identity's color suggestions well, but now I'm mostly certain. It's interesting how the season + image ID can either coordinate or contrast and add another dimension.

"Earnest" is nice, and "fresh." I used to be apprehensive of all things cute and girly but I've loosened up. Little bows and hearts can be fun. 💕

June

11/16/2017 04:49:06 pm

Rachel,

Thank you for the awesome post.

I have often considered Ingenue being in my blend (I strongly feel I have a youthful type in there). Now, I do not pull off light and airy fabrics well at all. Translucent airy blouses for example, in a weird way make my face seem unusually "strong" - its kind of a weird thing!

Can you offer some insight as to what this can mean?

11/17/2017 04:56:28 pm

*Translucent* airy fabrics sound more Ethereal to me--I believe Ingenue fabrics usually have an element of softness or crispness to them in addition to the lightness, and Ingenue clothes are only ever see-through in modest amounts and places, like the yoke or the edge of a skirt. Basically, think more dainty and less wispy. Maybe you'll see a difference if you adjust the fabrics you're testing.

You could also try using things besides fabrics to test for Ingenue; fabrics tend to overlap several style identities. Maybe try accessories--do you look good in sweet little lockets and headbands?

It sounds like you have one of the masculine types in your mix if your face looks so "strong" in such delicate fabrics. Lena suggested looking at Gamine, but don't rule out Natural or Dramatic either--Naturals can have a rugged, dare I say mannish look to them, and Dramatics often can cut glass with their cheekbones. So like Katja suggests, try mixing Ingenue with more masculine elements to see what sticks.

Katja

11/18/2017 03:24:46 am

Great comment! Translucent airy fabrics sound more Ethereal to me too.

11/19/2017 07:28:57 pm

Thank you KC.

I admit I feel silly in headbands.

I'm pretty confident I have Romantic, + a youthful essence. I wouldn't know if I had a touch of dramatic or natural. Classic has been brought up quite a bit by others.

I wear leather jackets quite well. Bulky and lose clothing however looks terrible on me. My clothes have to *fit well*.

Thank you for your thoughts :)

11/19/2017 07:57:44 pm

Good to know I was helpful, June :). Sounds like you're getting really close to narrowing down your Style ID. If bulky, loose clothing doesn't look good on you, you can rule out Natural. Leather jackets and fitted clothing work for both Gamines and Dramatics. Have you looked at Rachel's style boards for Romantic Gamine and Romantic Dramatic Gamine yet?

11/19/2017 08:05:18 pm

Forgot to say--between your replies to my comment and to Katja's, it definitely sounds like Gamine's a better bet for you than Ingenue, if headbands and frills aren't your thing. Romantic Ingenue style can get quite ruffly and flouncy!

11/19/2017 09:14:30 pm

Hey KC,

Thank you. Yes, I've looked at Romantic Gamine and Romantic Dramatic. I could wear both looks.

Personally, I prefer "playfulness" in my look, but, I would rather find out what works best for me and not give my personal preferences too much credit.

How would I figure out if I was more gamine or dramatic?

11/20/2017 01:07:03 am

Hi June--

If you mean how to tell the relative ratios of Gamine and Dramatic in your look, the best way to get hard numbers would be to purchase and download Rachel's Style ID Calculator. If you'd prefer to save your shekels for Christmas shopping, try getting the opinion of a friend who's not afraid to be honest with you about how much G or D you can pull off in any one outfit. My personal guess is that since you knew you had a youthful essence right off but didn't consider D until others on this site suggested it, your G is more dominant.

If you meant how to test for G and D in your style combo without mixing them up, you can test clothes like horizontally-striped boatneck shirts with fitted cropped pants for G; and tops with neck-framing necklines, high imposing collars, or shoulder emphasis with pants that can be described as long, sleek, and straight (anything from leggings to palazzo pants as long as they fit that description) for D. You can ask yourself honestly if you would look good in a G pixie cut or an undercut or severely pulled-back hair, both D. Again, Rachel's Style ID calculator may prove helpful. The biggest difference between G and D is that D likes everything cut as long as possible while G likes short, cropped lengths. G also likes smaller, busier detail--buttons, pockets, peter pan collars, newsboy caps. D prefers big, sharp, geometric patterns and accessories, and its overall look is bold but sleek and minimalist.

Sometimes you just have to try things on to determine whether they flatter you or not. From personal experience, when I first discovered style IDs I couldn't see any Dramatic in my face, but I knew I must have some because I looked good in neck-framing necklines and pulled-back hair. I also knew I had Ingenue because people always treated me as cute and sweet and often mistook me as younger, but I couldn't decide whether the third asymmetrical, long-and-loose style I knew was in there was Ethereal or Natural. After trying both styles while out shopping, I realized E never seemed to fit my body quite right and looked way too frilly when combined with the Ingenue, but I looked and felt great in DN styles and the kind of waistless A-line tops that only an IND could pull off. So next time you're at the store, play around and see what sticks.

Hope this was helpful :).

11/20/2017 04:04:32 pm

Yeah hm I actually feel quite unnattractive with my hair slicked back. Large jewelry feels odd and as well.

I have one more question if you don't mind. How should I test whether I have higher levels of gamine vs classic in my blend?

As a secondary, that is. So romantic/classic vs romantic/gamine.

11/20/2017 05:14:47 pm

Hi, June!

To distinguish between Romantic Classic and Romantic Gamine, you could think about it a few different ways. RC feels very, very grown-up, while RG feels rather playful. RG can appear more overtly sexy than RC, because RG isn't restrained by Classic's demure influence.

11/20/2017 08:07:09 pm

What Rachel said. If you want specific things to test, Classics look good in elegant pearl necklaces and simple stud earrings, while Gamines look better with little to no jewelry (and what jewelry they do wear is small and geometric). Cs are good in professional, neutral-colored slacks, Gs in tight and cropped pants with jaunty colors or details. Cs like symmetry and balance, Gs prefer playful asymmetry.

One good way to choose between the two is to determine which hairstyles flatter you more. C hair is very controlled with every strand in place, G hair is short and tousled. Rachel has a great post here (https://www.truth-is-beauty.com/blog/style-identities-your-best-hair) that explains what hairstyles look best on various two-style blends, including RC and RG.

Lena

11/17/2017 01:40:46 am

Maybe you are a Gamine blend? Gamines are youthful too. :)

11/17/2017 02:07:46 am

June,what are your other essences? The Ingenue essence can look different in different blends.

11/19/2017 04:30:20 pm

Hi Katja!

Thank you for your thoughts.

I've had a close friend and my sister guide me on my likely blend. Romantic Gamine has been suggested for me.

Romantic Classic was also suggested as a possibility. I can say I definitely have a strong dose of Romantic.

I guess I want to be sure of *which* youthful essence I have.

I feel silly in headbands and frills if that helps.

11/17/2017 10:16:40 pm

Cool post, Rachel--I'm looking forward to the rest of the series :). I did wish that you'd taken the sincerity > virtuousness > earnestness chain further. It piqued my interest enough that I plugged sincerity into an online thesaurus, and all sorts of great word associations came up--candor, frankness, genuineness, goodwill, reliability, trustworthiness, truthfulness, artlessness, heart <3, honor, openness, wholeheartedness, good faith, guilelessness.

For virtue, I got character, ethic, faith, generosity, goodness, ideal, kindness, love, morality, charity, consideration, high-mindedness, hope, incorruptibility, prudence, respectability, temperance, trustworthiness, uprightness.

That led to idealism--chivalry, optimism, encouragement, rose-colored glasses, dream world, idealization, sanguinity, brightness/looking on the bright side, buoyancy, cheerfulness/good cheer, enthusiasm, happiness, hopefulness, positivism.

I also liked well-mannered, polite, charming, courteous, decorous, genteel; and demure, modest, prim, bashful, blushing, coy, humble, nice, prissy, proper, prudish, retiring, shy, skittish, strait-laced, unassertive. Seems Ingenues come off as so wholesome it hurts!

(Sorry about the length of this comment, I was having too much fun!)

11/18/2017 03:28:36 am

KC, I love reading this! Very good words.

11/18/2017 03:52:47 pm

Thanks, Katja :)

11/19/2017 08:26:38 pm

Here's a question--could Ingenues also be described as a bit old-fashioned, despite their inherent youthfulness? Rachel's stated before that Ingenues look good in vintage styles; they're associated with "traditional" feminine qualities like demureness, sweetness, and chastity; they often look like antique dolls or Victorian schoolgirls; and many elements of their style, like midi-skirts and hats, jewelry, and gloves that are small and cute, are also favored by sweet little old ladies. Ingenues being old-fashioned would certainly make an interesting comparison to Gamines' mod vibe. Anybody else have thoughts on this?

(Synonyms for old-fashioned: antique, corny (lol), dated, old-timey, behind the times, not modern, dowdy, old-school, oldfangled, old-hat, past, vintage, and my personal favorite--rococo.)

11/20/2017 05:27:59 pm

Hi, KC!

Ingenues can absolutely look old-fashioned, but only in certain ways. If you Google "retro fashion," you'll see a lot of very Ingenue looks. "Vintage fashion" will also give you a lot of Ingenue results. "Rococo fashion" wont give you Ingenue at all though -- it's much more Romantic and/or Ethereal.

:-)

11/20/2017 02:01:38 am

Yes, I think you can say that Ingenues could be described as a bit old-fashioned.
June, it sounds like you are a Gamine blend. You could be a Romantic -Gamine or you could be a Romantic- Dramatic-Gamine.

Nancy

11/20/2017 02:16:09 am

Hi, June! Women with the Style-ID Romantic-Dramatic usually are very sexy. Think Sofia Vergara or Sophia Loren! Women with the Style-ID Romantic-Gamine are sexy too, but in a more playful way.
Maybe this will help you.

11/20/2017 03:59:57 pm

Hi Nancy!

I do not see myself as Very sexy, especially not Sofia Vergara level!

I kind of have a trademark gamine face I think as well. Large forehead, full cheeks, small chin, large eyes, winged eyebrows. Atleast that is a pattern I have noticed in other gamines.

11/26/2017 08:16:07 pm

Since fruits like cherries or strawberries are sometimes used in confectionery, can fruit motifs be considered Ingenue?

11/27/2017 09:45:58 pm

I'm not an expert, but since I have seen adorable little fruit motifs on little girls clothing a lot I think the answer would be yes that it would be ingénue, but some gamine styles maybe could have fruit patterns as well that look more spunky than sweet like cherries with a spunky saying for example.

Evee

8/18/2019 12:08:46 am

Ladies please help! Does anyone have any suggestions for how an ingenue can style herself on a hot date? How do ingenue's invite titillating romance into their space whilst flattering their own style?
thank you!
xox

Truth is Beauty

INGENUE Word Inspiration

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