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. 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. Ingenues look appropriate, not ridiculous, in girlish details such as small bows, tiny flowers, headbands, simple lockets, and puffed sleeves. 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. By contrast, they look silly -- like a kid playing dress-up -- in anything "sexy" or womanly, such as elaborate jewelry or a plunging neckline.. 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). 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. Ingenues appear authentic and relaxed with sincere, joyful smiles. 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. :-)
69 Comments
moni
2/17/2015 02:39:52 am
I find this whole style identity posts really interesting! However, when I read it, I understand it but I find it very difficult to put it into practice. I have no idea what I and most people I know could be, unlike color, which seems like something more intuitive.
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Kate
2/17/2015 04:19:48 am
Ha ha ha, brilliant. Love the last pictures (Dang! She looks like a mean old B***!). Every time I try to come across sweet and innocent, it just doesn't work. Arouses suspicion. What's she trying to hide? Guess no ingenue for me! Great stuff to read.
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Abir
2/17/2015 12:34:31 pm
Thank you so much for continuing this series! I've been waiting for the ingenue post as I've had an inkling it's my style identity.
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Solania
2/18/2015 05:39:08 pm
Yes, it is possible to be a Romantic Ingenue blend. Like Marilyn Monroe and Scarlett Johansson. They can appear sweet and sexy at the same time!
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Diane
2/17/2015 01:09:25 pm
Hi Rachel,
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Mary Ellen
2/17/2015 03:53:17 pm
Can any color type be any style essence? I'm thinking that deep colors wouldn't work so wel for an ingénue. Also, how would an ingénue modify her look if she has white or silver hair? Would the hair color make her look too mature to pull off this style type?
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Abir
2/19/2015 03:31:39 pm
I am convinced I am ingenue but I'm also a dark winter and deep colors really suit me. Even though I had no idea I was Ingenue, I noticed that I gravitated toward burgundies and deep jewel tones but the clothing silhouettes were very girlish. Baby doll dresses, lace, etc.
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C
1/23/2017 06:08:53 am
I am a Dark Winter too, and an Ingenue / Natural. One of the original examples of ingenue was Helen Hayes, who had dark blue eyes. The original books were euro-centric, but in these more inclusive times the categories should be able to fit all races. Look at all the super cute asian pop stars these days! Lots of them are very ingenue but they have high contrast and dark eyes and hair. Most babies in the world are born with dark brown eyes so dark eyes can look youthful too. Personally, I think coloring, impression, and personality are all separate and can be combined in all ways. With 7 billion people on the planet there's all combinations!
Abir
2/20/2015 04:25:46 am
Your comment made me realize how color and style create a vast number of looks. Because if you're ingenue but a dark winter like me then there's contradictions that make me so different from an ingenue that is a light spring. This is not even taking into account that most people are two style identities which makes things really interesting.
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Peridot83
2/24/2015 04:45:37 am
Oh I think lots of ingenues/gamines even though childlike in face/appearance look great in dark colors (Audrey Hepburn is a gamine example). Maybe dark ingenues/gamines have an advantage with age, because it's easier to pull off the small whimsical aspects in darker colors than it is if you look best in powder pink and powder blue.
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Maria B.
2/18/2015 11:18:03 pm
Sorry to bump in with more questions. Your articles are really interesting.
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Sally L.
2/19/2015 06:46:58 pm
I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog posts. This one is no exception. It is just as wonderfully insightful as the others. Looking forward to the next one. :)
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Rachel Arnt-Schemmel
2/23/2015 12:47:46 pm
Coloring definitely contributes to an overall impression. It's one factor of many. Light coloring contributes to an impression of youthfulness (Ingenue or Gamine); high-contrast coloring contributes to a Dramatic or Romantic impression; low-contrast coloring contributes to an Ethereal impression; muted coloring contributes to a Natural impression...
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Rachel Arnt-Schemmel
2/23/2015 12:52:40 pm
Dark Winter coloring might add an element of Romantic or Dramatic to a primarily Ingenue style ID.
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Abir
2/23/2015 02:44:19 pm
Rachel, I knew I was an Ingenue but was wondering what my second identity was which is why I asked if a person could be Ingenue and Romantic. Your comment on dark winter adding a romantic element to Ingenue answered my question. Yay! Thank you!
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Rachel Arnt-Schemmel
2/23/2015 12:54:58 pm
All of the details of appearance contribute to the overall impression. Texture and coloring are part of it.
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Peridot83
2/24/2015 04:50:20 am
It has interesting implications for ethnicity too! To a western eye, a lot of other ethnicity groups have highly gamine/ingenue faces due to being smaller with smaller faces and features and full cheeks. Yet their bodies/coloring/personality may suggest a highly different type. Like poor Selena Gomez who has a highly ingenue face but clearly would like to dress her body/project a personality that's different.
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Rachel Arnt-Schemmel
2/23/2015 12:56:44 pm
There are absolutely women with grey or white hair who still create a very youthful impression. Betty White is the most frequently cited example. Jane Goodall also comes to mind.
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Abir
2/23/2015 02:43:39 pm
Thank you for answering all our questions except I'm still wondering how Ingenues should dress as they get older. I've always felt that older women who try to dress young and girlish just end up looking older. There's always the sense that older means more sophisticated clothing.
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Rachel Arnt-Schemmel
2/23/2015 03:08:35 pm
Harriet McJimsey writes, and I agree, that many women with Ingenue qualities lose them to some extent as they age. So, to the extent that your Ingenue decreases, you'd decrease those elements in your look. But if you retain a lot of ingenue, you can still successfully wear a lot of Ingenue in your look. It's probable that you'll lose some as you age, but it's not certain. Jane Goodall is someone I can easily picture in pigtails. :-)
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Monica
2/24/2015 03:48:25 am
Hello Rachel. Thank you for your informative posts. With regards to colouring where would medium contrast fit in for the style types? Ex: pale/light colouring with medium/dark blue eyes but not with a significant dark ring around the iris and naturally medium/light brown hair dyed light blonde.(analyzed True Spring). Thought I was ingenue blend but now...?
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Katie
2/24/2015 08:48:49 am
I was browsing your pintrest boards and I came across a photo of Michelle Williams in the Gamine Ingenue board. I think Ginnifer Goodwin is a Gamine Ingenue as well.The dress and pixie cut that Michelle was wearing reminded me of Goodwin. Sweet and spunky describes Goodwin's street style perfectly.
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Kay
2/25/2015 03:17:49 pm
You just explained why interactions of all sorts (except business, now not-so-ironically) has been so awkward ALL MY LIFE-until now. Where Were you during my school years! Haha I Looove it, please keep these posts up. God bless you!!! You're a total Godsend.
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Paulina P.
2/26/2015 09:07:05 am
Thank you so much for this article! It helped me realize that I am possibly some type of an ingenue and opened my eyes to the whole new brand of femininity.
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Morgan
3/1/2015 07:10:33 pm
I think Lupita Nyongo is a Romantic, not an Ingenue at all. I´m speaking about her face, not her body, because I´m not sure about the last. But her face is totally a Romantic one, with all the traits that make a woman look sexy and feminine. She is sweet, but she doesn´t look like a girl, but a grown woman. Her sexy is not agresive, but she is not girlish either, and she is much more than simply "pretty".
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lunchcoma
3/5/2015 04:40:13 pm
Thank you so much for doing the three-way identities! I think I only have two, but looking through them really helped me clarify what my style identity was. When I’ve tried with other systems, I’ve always started at Romantic because my body type seems to fit the description, and have gotten a bit frustrated when the clothes suggested tend not to be all that flattering.
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sarah timmins
3/15/2015 04:56:25 am
Hi. I love reading your blog and I had a question. I think I am a light summer (despite having medium brown hair and grey-green eyes) and I also think I am an ingenue style. I work as a social worker and have to dress smart/casual and fairly pratical. Any tips for me as a light summer ingenue? i also need to be taken seriously lol. x
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Melissa
4/19/2015 05:36:01 pm
Still anxiously awaiting the long-promised Romantic and Ethereal posts (pretty please.....?) ;-)
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Hi! Thank you very much for posting this! I was identified as a Natural Ingenue a few years ago by a stylist, but I'm always happy to read more about it. I also love the photos of current celebrities that you have included. Always helps. I'm also a Dark Summer (or Soft Summer, depending on style school). Any ideas for haircuts? I've had my hair in long layers and bangs for ages and I'm really bored by now. How could I change it without going against the "sweet" and "cute" image that I have?
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Sonny
8/31/2015 05:32:23 am
I think a blunt bob or "lob" with bangs would be super cute - like Emma Stone's current haircut.
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kostadina
7/29/2015 09:54:45 am
hallo.I am ingenue because i made the analysis of style and i have a question.What kind of haircut is for an ingenue woman?long or short? because i have long hair and lot...sometimes i feel little dark..please help me.
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Cozycat
5/19/2016 12:53:24 am
Thank you for your blog! I love it! I would like to suggest a few more possible ingenues to the list: Kristen Bell (Classic Ingenue), Kirsten Dunst (I'm guessing Romantic Natural Ingenue or Classic Natural Ingenue?), Kristin Kreuk (Natural Classic Ingenue), Kristen Stewart (Dramatic Gamine Ingenue? or is she Dramatic Natural Gamine?), Alexis Bledel (Ethereal Gamine Ingenue), Ariana Grande (Dramatic Ingenue), Megan Good (Dramatic Romantic Ingenue/Gamine), Jennifer Garmer (Natural Classic Ingenue), Miranda Kerr (Maybe Romantic Gamine Ingenue? not sure about the gamine part though...), And one of my favorite ingenues of all time, Kate Bush. She definitely looks like an Ethereal Natural Ingenue to me, especially when she was in her teens and up to her 30's. Maybe now that she's older and heavier, she's more Romantic than Ingenue? This is fun...and whoah I just read through my list, and that's alot of Kristens/Kirstens lol!
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Cozycat
5/19/2016 03:22:21 am
Oh,I forgot to add Rachel McAdams to the list above....and Selena Gomez.
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Melina
9/8/2016 11:09:21 am
I'd like to ask whether you see an age limit for Ingenues? This might seem a strange thing to ask, and it wouldn't have occurred to me otherwise (as it's counterintuitive to me), but on another site someone said women can only be Ingenue until around 25 max (and scathing words about women over 40 trying to look like teenagers)... I had thought one can be any type, whatever your age? As surely we all know there are women who are youthful and girlish until an advanced age, even though it seems some people are actively denying this...
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Candle
12/16/2016 02:50:37 am
I can't answer for the author and I am probably very under qualified and I am not even sure if you still are looking. But here are my thoughts never the less. My mother (definitely is over 40) has ingenue in her. She isn't pure ingenue but it's definitely a factor. She has always looked and read as 'young for her age' and still does. And while she can definitely no longer pull off lacy shorts she incorporates the minature and delicate into more 'mature' styles and it works.
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Melina
12/16/2016 03:35:29 am
Thanks for your reply, Candle :) I have since found I'm a Romantic-Ethereal-Ingenue, so it's definitely a part of me too.
Stroppy Ingenue
4/14/2017 07:38:52 am
***Body and personality doesn't suit 'face personality' of Ingenue*** ANYONE ELSE?
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Rachel
4/14/2017 09:24:03 am
Hi! I'm Ethereal Natural, and I accommodate my big feet and muscular legs by going more Natural than Ethereal from the waist down.
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Whit
4/14/2017 02:31:38 pm
< meant to hit reply - long answer below in comments :) >
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Stroppy Ingenue
4/16/2017 03:09:15 am
Hi Rachel and Whit,
Whit
4/14/2017 02:29:05 pm
Hi Stroppy,
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Stroppy Ingenue
4/16/2017 03:10:04 am
Hi Whit,
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Beth
7/4/2017 12:05:43 am
The more I study myself; the more I think I am very probably just a grown up Ingénue. Several other fashion/style/personality sites seem to concur. I think what may be the most indicating factor other than until I tried to be someone I was not ( some co-workers, friends etc. calling me gentle, sweet, creative, imaginative, etc. ) is the very prominent gray ring around my eyes which are kind of blue; kind of green; but I wear much more blue than green; just sometimes mint or aqua.
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Lilac
7/31/2017 04:58:16 pm
Hello Rachel!
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Eve
3/1/2018 04:08:08 am
This article is really interesting, the pictures of Alison Brie made me realize I might have a large part of Ingenue.
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konstadina Ioannidou
5/22/2018 06:54:01 am
Hallo. i made the analysis on house of colour, and i discovered that i am summer ingenue. As i reading articles about the 12 seasons, i believe that maybe i am a deep winter.I have dark brown eyes, dark brown is my natural colour of hair but when i dye my hair black, it seems to strange on me. It is very very hard on my face. My skin is not very dark except on summer, which becomes bright chocolate. But my natural skin is lighter. I think that black and white doesnt suits me as i told you. But as i am in ingenue, everything which doesnt seem natural, is not good to me. What do you believe is my season tone? Please help me. I have read a lot lot lot articles and i am totally confused. Very Large and little round, dark-brown eyes, dark brown hair but not black. rose beige skin tone on winter, chocolate on summer. I forgot to tell you that i get tanned of the sun very easy. i dont get burned at all as i read for summers. How can i be a summer, as my eyes are not light? Thank you.
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Shawna
6/4/2018 01:14:29 am
I know this is an old post but I've just figured out that I've got some Ingenue in me and enough for it to need accounting for. In fact, thanks to you I've figured out that I have a significant amount of ethereal and a dash of ingenue so it is no wonder I was struggling with Kibbe! I am tall and have an intense personality ( am an MBT INTJ) so this is a bit confusing at the moment. I think I have read the Ingenue aspect as Classic until now and it does seem that I might have equal Ingenue and Classic elements. Still exploring and thinking. Thanks so much for all this food for thought you provide.
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Lydia
6/22/2018 02:57:51 am
Do you think body type comes into the picture for an ingenue? I have a very youthful and sweet face. I often hear "cute," "adorable," "pretty," and "sweet," more than "beautiful." But I have a distended gut and I'm a bit on the wide side. But in my acting class, I was cast as the sweet innocent one for nearly every scene I did. Would body type come into the equation for acting/casting?
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Zoa
10/11/2020 01:06:12 pm
Why do you have Olivia newton's picture in both the gamine and the ingenue?
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Melina
10/12/2020 02:52:33 am
Why not? It's entirely possible for someone to have both these essences, as most people are a combination of 2-3 essences, some even 4 :)
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Arletta
10/14/2020 12:09:03 am
But, I - the free and spirited Flamboyant Natural - have a dark ring around my iris and you said I was average, nothing remarkable, etc.
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Melina
10/20/2020 03:28:18 am
Arletta, what on earth are you on?! :o Naturals are actually praised *a lot* in this blog, just as all others, I've seen nothing hateful or oppressive towards them whasoever. Which would certainly be weird, considering the blog owner is herself mostly Natural...! You've truly got the wrong end of the stick there! And seeing as "Flamboyant Natural" is not a category in this system, you're probably confusing this with another system. (Like Kibbe, which I've found to be quite inaccurate and total bull.)
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Miriam
7/21/2022 02:51:53 pm
I think Lily Collins is a Classic Ingenue Gamine. She has that prettiness, sweetness and innocence about her. Her smile appears like a sweet princess smile (ingenue and classic).
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Miriam
7/22/2022 09:14:21 am
Oh, and the raised eyebrow for that look too I want to add.
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Melina
7/22/2022 09:53:41 am
I think you are probably right about her being CIG, but just wanted to point out that being Romantic doesn't necessarily mean you have a curvy body at all, after all this system goes by face, not body! :) So that alone doesn't exclude R. There's a good pic somewhere here of Keira Knightley, who has a very lean body and fairly flat chest (at least it looks so in that pic), and yet she does well with an *impression* of cleavage, as she has a lot of R :)
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Miriam
7/22/2022 11:37:06 am
I know, I think I might have not been clear in what I wanted to say here. I know that having Romantic essence has nothing to do with having a curvy body. I just meant that Lily Collins is not wearing cuts that well that are designed for curvy people not only because she doesn't have Romantic essence but also because she doesn't have a curvy body.
Daria
7/22/2022 11:56:31 am
I also agree with CIG for Lily Collins.
Melina
7/23/2022 05:42:52 am
Miriam, I'm a bit confused now by a part of your post, as you say "I also don't think that wearing cleavage necessarily has something do with your essence", and then you go on to say it has to do with how "yin" and "yang" you are - but that is specifically connected to one's essence, how yin or yang you are! ;) Also, this sytem does not actually use terms "yin" or "yang", but simply feminine and masculine, so I feel you may confusing this with other systems too? (You also mention some others, like Body and Style.) IMO it's clearer to stick to one system, ie. the one this site is about :)
Miriam
12/20/2022 06:16:36 am
Dear Melina.
Miriam
12/20/2022 06:23:05 am
"A deep v neck shows cleavage but is most certainly more yang, likely Dramatic", is what I wanted to write.
Melina
7/22/2022 10:01:48 am
Here's the pic (& caption) about Keira Knightley I referred to above, Miriam: :)
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Miriam
7/22/2022 10:47:41 am
I frequently say compacity but I actually capacity 😅
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Miriam
7/22/2022 10:49:06 am
* I actually mean
Emilee Cleaver
7/22/2022 01:59:58 am
I am convinced I am an ethereal romantic ingenue, and I look at those gorgeous dresses and I think “why would I wear anything else?” But then I wake up and realize how inappropriate they would be at Walmart and church (basically the only places I ever go!)
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Melina
7/23/2022 07:07:44 am
Agree about everyday outfits! ;) Though what I mostly do is to try to go by the shapes pictured, and just adapt them to more everyday clothes.
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mellysa
3/9/2023 05:40:46 pm
aaah im ingenue then!
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