Ingenue beauty is often what you're seeing if someone is clearly "pretty," but you'd feel uncomfortable styling her in overtly sexy clothes because she just looks too darn sweet.
 Laura Linney -- try to imagine her dressed like J.Lo. |  Lupita Nyong'o -- would you ever style her like Salma Hayek? |
The curving line is the defining line of all the feminine types, but Ingenue's circles are small and restrained, rather than large and lush.
 |  Brandy Norwood looks adorable with tiny curls surrounding her face. |
Ingenues look appropriate, not ridiculous, in girlish details such as small bows, tiny flowers, headbands, simple lockets, and puffed sleeves.
The Ingenue frame is petite. The Ingenue figure is identifiably feminine, but more trim than lush. Ingenue hands and feet are small and delicate. The Ingenue face is quite round, with a tiny, tapered chin, a small, pert nose, round, wide-set eyes, a large forehead, round cheeks, and plump lips. Ingenues often have naturally curly hair; if they don't they are still flattered by curls. Overall, an Ingenue reads as girlish.
 Jane Krakowski in puffed sleeves. |  Jayma Mays with bow detail. |
By contrast, they look silly -- like a kid playing dress-up -- in anything "sexy" or womanly, such as elaborate jewelry or a plunging neckline..
 |  In more sexy styles, she looks like a little girl playing dress-up. |
Alison Brie. In modest pink floral, she is lovely.
And of course, Ingenues are no less sexual than any other people. It's just that visually, they read as girlish rather than womanly.
Eyes that appear very light relative to the overall coloring read as youthful, and therefore Ingenue (or Gamine).
 Zooey Deschanel's eyes are surprising light for her coloring. |  So are Rihanna's. |
Note that this signifier should be interpreted relative to the overall coloring. On a pink-skinned, yellow-haired person, deep blue eyes probably won't read as Ingenue. On a brown-skinned person with black hair, caramel or light brown eyes will read as youthful.
| (On the topic of eyes, a dark ring around the iris also contributes to an impression of Gamine or Ingenue. Such a ring is characteristic of kids' eyes but not of adults' eyes.) |  Rihanna's dark-ringed iris.  Emma Stone's dark-ringed iris. |
Ingenues appear authentic and relaxed with sincere, joyful smiles.
 Olivia Newton-John |  Emma Stone |
Ingenues often hear "pretty," "cute," "sweet," and "adorable." They're not perceived by strangers as intimidating, mysterious, tough, or intense.
This can be frustrating to an Ingenue with a more assertive, competitive, or no-nonsense personality.
If that's you, my advice is to take advantage of the element of surprise that your innocent appearance grants you. They won't see you coming. :-)
 They think you're all... |  But you're actually... |
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