Considering boudoir

By Kayla Thomas

Boudoir sessions, photographic sessions in which women are presented in a tasteful but risqué fashion, have become popular among women across the U.S. Of late, boudoir has come to Lexington through the work of photographer Morgan Day Cecil. Cecil has worked in all areas of photography from maternity to portrait, but boudoir provides her with a large amount of artistic expression and is also quite satisfying on a personal level. It is in these boudoir sessions that Cecil says she sees “the biggest transition” take place in the client.

Cecil used to work on the west coast where boudoir sessions were considered less immodest. When working out of Lexington, she said that the women who came to her for the sessions were “the leaders in their group of friends.” These were the bolder women, those willing to press not only their own limits, but the limits of gender roles in more southern states. On the other hand, the more liberal west coast allows women to explore their sexuality more openly and with less stigmatization.

Openly expressing one’s sexuality can be more arduous in places like Kentucky. Noted for its small towns, agriculture, and beautiful mountains, Kentucky has never been known for its roaring city life or its sexual liberation. The religious presence here has enforced conservative images of women’s sexuality and women’s role as a whole. Gender roles are still active as ever, though the roles have become subtler and, therefore, less recognized. The societal constraints placed on women are fought by women and enforced by them. While some women recognize their inability to be sexually open and attempt to change this limitation, others are blind to such restrictions and have unknowingly reinforced the age-old image of the virgin versus the whore.

The sexual constrictions placed on women in the past years have caused a double standard that is common knowledge: women sleep around and they are sluts, men sleep around and it’s normal. Some scientists go as far as to research this cultural construct to find biological basis for the hypocrisy. However, with a changing sexual culture, the amount of women labeled “whore” and “slut” is on the rise. The college years have morphed from a time of steady dating and romantic intimacy into one night stands and hook-ups. People in relationships have become less typical, while having multiple sexual partners has become more ordinary.

With this change, women now have more opportunity to explore their sexuality openly, but they still face the consequences of being labeled “impure” or “easy.” Younger women have a difficult time dealing with the balancing act of being open enough to not be a prude, but not so open as to be a whore. Younger women are not only subject to a less mature crowd of peers, but they are also less comfortable with themselves and their sexuality. This discomfort causes young women to feel uncomfortable not only exploring their sexuality, but uncomfortable with themselves all around. With less experience and time to equip them with the tools to deal with the stigma attached to a sexually active woman, they are more likely to feel lost and confused.

However, older women have dealt with these pressures and double standards for longer, and they have the self-awareness to approach their sexuality with more confidence and security. Cecil notices this in her boudoir shoots, where she sees clients typically from the ages of 21 to 45. Cecil has also noted that the older women who come to her are more likely to have the shots taken for themselves than for a partner.

Cecil’s boudoir sessions are ultimately about women recognizing and validating their own sexuality, even if a woman who comes to Cecil is doing so for a significant other. Cecil has the tact and artistic ability to make the shoot about the individual woman, satisfying her need to feel beautiful and sexy. “We’re never going to be Marilyn Monroe, but it’s not about that,” Cecil says. It’s about exploring the woman as an entire person, her interests, her loves, her passions, and pulling these into her sexuality by making them present in the photo shoot. In fact, Cecil has her clients fill out a pre-session questionnaire regarding why they are doing the shoot and their personal interests.

Why is Cecil’s boudoir photography different from controversial advertisements or sexy photographs that some claim degrade women? Because what Cecil does isn’t about selling a product. The finished photograph is for the individual. “It’s an objective look at beauty, you know, not just them looking in the mirror,” Cecil suggests.

Obviously, this is good for the woman’s self-esteem. To see pictures that make her look beautiful and were created with her satisfaction in mind is a gift. This self-confidence, once established, can solve problems with women’s sexuality across the board. Sexual relationships can become about exploring the woman’s sexuality, her desires and needs, and not just about satisfying a partner, something else that Cecil talks about: “It solves both sides of the equation. Men are attracted to confidence and the photographs make women more confident.” (Naturally, confidence attracts women to women as well as men to women.)

The sessions, which some may view as simply a few well-taken photographs, are about more than beauty for Cecil and the women who come to her to be photographed. They’re about balancing what Cecil refers to as the “pendulum of internal and external” beauty. “They don’t have to be separate, we can have both together,” she says. Acknowledging that aesthetics are important to humans (but realizing that this love for prettiness will never be fully satisfying) allows a woman a more harmonious relationship with herself — and with being beautiful in a way different from Marilyn Monroe.

Since research for this article began, Cecil has moved back out west. To view more of her photography, visit http://photography.morgandaycecil.com.