Pablo Picasso’s muse Marie-Thérèse Walter served as the inspiration for his 1932 painting “La Rêve.”I suspect that muses don’t have a lot of appeal to contemporary feminists, who argue that being an empowered ‘slut’ is far more important than being a muse.

Even I must admit that muses are sort of a mixed bag, existing to inspire others, rather than themselves.

In history and also in mythology, muses germinated the male brain to great heights of achievement and accomplishment.

In today’s world, women want more than to inspire; we see ourselves as doers. And yet, it seems to me that there’s value in arousing others to reach for the high bar in creative self-development and personal achievement.

A modern muse, in the form of a Smart Sensuality woman, can inspire, while advancing her own self.

Over at SensualityNews, I wrote that the current Metropolitan of Art show “The Model As Muse” was a lackluster performance for me, in making the connection between fashion models and their impact on either creators or the general public.

I went to the exhibit, hoping to see the equivalent of Greek sirens, given the sexualization of modern fashion media. All I saw was a sea of very, very pretty faces.

Where was her power? I sought clarity about the impact of these muses on culture and civilization. Centuries later, will these muses live on through art, drama, buildings and other testaments to human creativity?

Probably not.

Modern muses like fashion models exist, so that we can all imitate her. The Wall Street Journal reminds us that this reality would make the original muses “run for the sacred hills”.