Very Demure! Who Were Art History’s Most ‘Mindful’ Ladies?

“Here’s your reality check, diva,” said Jools Lebron in a recent viral TikTok video in which the cashier-turned-content creator offers tips for how women can be more “demure,” “cutesy,” and “mindful” in the workplace. Just when you thought you were ahead of the trends with your regrettable “brat summer” antics and disheveled “hot rodent” boyfriend, it’s time to take a u-turn. Charli XCX didn’t lie when she said it’s so confusing sometimes to be a girl.

“I don’t look like a clown when I go to work,” Lebron told the camera from the seat of her car. She flaunts a well-executed if not obviously demure make-up look of heavy winged eyeliner, eyelash extensions, and rosy blush. In a follow-up video, she served a more subtle, stripped back alternative, noting “a little hair oil on the wig,” “a little tinted moisturizer,” and “a little brow gel.” The look is declared “very considerate, very approachable, very demure,” in contrast to some women, who apparently turn up to work “looking like streetwalkers with a low-cut shirt.”

The internet has heeded Lebron’s call to action, flooding TikTok with demure ‘fits and tongue-in-cheek guides to more mindful and cutesy living, from their home decor to their walks of shame. But is this really such a new trend?

Several museums have scrambled to join in the fun, sharing TikToks that prove the Old Masters also had a penchant for demure and considerate damsels. Worry not, there’ll be no clowns on these canvases. Here’s what’s been showing up on our FYP.

Rijksmuseum

@rijksmuseum Very considerate, very demure✨ 🖼️Three Regentesses and the ‘House Mother’ of the Amsterdam Lepers’ Asylum, Werner van den Valckert, 1624 #demure #amsterdammuseum #rijksmuseum #arttok ♬ original sound – Jools Lebron

With their somber black gowns and white ruff collars, the regentesses in Werner van den Valckert’s Three Regentesses and the “House Mother: of the Amsterdam Lepers’ Asylum (1624) are surely role models for demure professional dressing.

MAK Vienna

@makvienna How to be ✨demure✨ in a museum🫶 #demure #mak #makvienna #art #museum #museumtok #fyp ♬ Originalton – MAK vienna

In a handy guide to demure museum-going etiquette, MAK Vienna recommends not standing right in front of an artwork but leaving enough distance that everyone can see. Sartorial suggestions include wearing quiet shoes with opting for a smaller bag.

Brooklyn Museum

@brooklynmuseumDid somebody say, very demure? 💅 You see how the artworks in our collection model this quality for our visitors? Very respectful, very mindful. 🖼️ Jean-Bernard Duvivier (Belgian, 1762–1837). Portrait of Madame Tallien, 1806. → Walt Kuhn (American, 1877–1949). Dressing Room, 1926. → Henri Fantin-Latour (French, 1836–1904). Portrait of Madame Léon Maître (Portrait de Madame Léon Maître), 1882. → Woman with Earrings, 100–105 C.E. → Beauty Grinding Ink for Writing Poetry, First Flower Viewing. → Laura Wheeler Waring (American, 1887–1948). Woman with Bouquet, ca. 1940. → Mummy Cartonnage of a Woman, 1st century C.E. → Giovanni Boldini (Italian, 1842–1931). Portrait of a Lady, 1912. → Daniel Huntington (American, 1816–1906). The Sketcher: A Portrait of Mlle Rosina, a Jewess, 1858. → Seated Buddha, 14th century.♬ original sound – Jools Lebron

A heavily made-up, scantily clad figure in Walt Kuhn’s Dressing Room (1926), the second painting shared by the Brooklyn Museum, is not exactly giving demure, at least by Lebron’s definition. Who could claim to be more mindful than the Buddha though?

Minneapolis Institute of Art

@mplsinstart Very demure, very mindful ✨ #demure #mindful #paintings #artmuseum ♬ original sound – Jools Lebron

18th-century ladies knew a thing or two about how to work a wig, so those of us hoping to pull of a more cutesy look in future might do well to visit our nearest art gallery.

Guggenheim

@guggenheim Artfully demure. #Demure #MuseumTok ♬ original sound – Jools Lebron

Was Degas demure? The Impressionists shared a love of Paris’s seedier side, so many of their female subjects kept things approachable and considerate by day before serving “streetwalker” at night.

Sacramento History Museum 

@sachistorymuseum What we wear in the print shop at the Sacramento History Museum is very demure. #SacHistoryMuseum #verydemure #demure #sacramento #museum #history #printingpress ♬ original sound – Jools Lebron

Some of the staff at the Sacramento History Museum have clearly been scrolling social media after hours, thrown out their make-up brushes, and opted for a more mindful, demure look in the office. Too right!

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