A Viewer Told Me to Cover Up - Anne Boleyn Had the PERFECT Response

A viewer recently emailed me with some well-meaning professional advice: she found my bare arms, flushed skin and tattoos distracting from my history content, and suggested that I might consider wearing a blouse or even a turtleneck when filming.

There was just one rather wonderful irony...The two visible tattoos she suggested I cover up are both connected to Anne Boleyn - and one of them seemed to provide the perfect response from nearly 500 years ago:"Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne."

Or, as I like to translate it: "Let them grumble. That's the way it's going to be."

In this video, I'm exploring the fascinating history behind Anne Boleyn's defiant motto, why she had it embroidered on her servants' livery during Henry VIII's Great Matter, and its possible connection to the court of Margaret of Austria.

I'm also sharing the very personal reason I had those words tattooed on me in 2021, after years of allowing online criticism to affect my confidence.

And the viewer's email raised another interesting question: are women still judged differently from men when it comes to appearance and professionalism? Can bare shoulders or tattoos really distract from someone's expertise? And would we react in the same way to a male historian?

I'd love to know what you think in the comments.And as for whether I'll be filming my videos in a turtleneck from now on...Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne.Let them grumble!

#AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #Tudors #HenryVIII #History

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