Boudoir Photography has become a very popular form of portraiture and there are many terms associated with the genre. Boudoir, Vintage, Burlesque, Pin-up, FYEO and Make-over are all familiar phrases, but what do they all mean?
The various phrases and descriptions you’ll be familiar with are boudoir, make-over, vintage, pin-up, nude, ‘for your eyes only’ and so on. All of these terms are used quite liberally and sometimes it’s not always clear what these terms actually represent? As already stated, there are no specific rules and everyone’s ideas will vary, but this is how I would classify each individual term:
Boudoir
This is the main term which is used although, in my opinion, the images which spring to mind are quite specific. Traditionally the ‘boudoir’ was a lady’s private bedroom or dressing room. The word drives from the French ‘Bouder’ meaning to pout.
I think of Boudoir as defining a style of image that shows a woman in a partial state of undress, usually her underwear. The idea is to imply nudity in a provocative and tasteful manner without crossing the line into actual nudity.
Vintage Boudoir
Vintage Boudoir is a curious term which seems to have found it’s way into the photography lexicon without anyone being able to explain why? A simple web search for the term ‘vintage boudoir’ returns a wide range of results from furniture to fashion.
Champagne, for example, can be described as vintage if the grapes used to produce it were from a specific year’s harvest. The Champagne could be only 2 years old but would still be correctly described as ‘vintage’.
Similarly, I think of the term Vintage, in the context of boudoir or fashion, refers to a period in the past. It could be the 1960’s, 1950’s, 1940’s and so on. The term isn’t referring to any specific period, only a period in time when a certain style could be considered to be iconic. Different photographers will have their own interpretation of the vintage style which will be influenced by their personal preferences.
Make-Over
Perhaps one of the broadest descriptions applied to many forms of glamour portraiture a ‘make-over’ can imply all manner of styles. A classic make-over, to my mind, can be best exemplified as photo session which shows you at your best. Often it involves a make-up and hair restyle together with a collection of fashion clothing. The images can be sexual but I tend to think they are more family orientated and can be a fun idea for all ages?
Makeovers have become popular mainly though TV shows such as What not to Wear. These kind have shows have spawned an entire industry and there are literally hundreds of companies in the UK offering their take on the makeover genre.
For Your Eyes Only
‘For your eyes only’ or ‘FYEO’ is a play on the phrase used in the James Bond novel and movie of the same name. It was coined by Alexandra Burns of FYEO who were one of the first commercial photography studios to offer boudoir style photography to women in the UK. FYEO is a marketing term and doesn’t, as such, define any style of photographic imagery.
Pin-Up
Pin-up photography refers to calendar or poster type images of glamour models and actresses. It can also be used to describe drawings or illustrations depicting glamorous women.
Pin-up art originated in America in the late 1930’s and became popular when iconic images of scantily clad females were recreated en-mass on magazine covers, calendars, playing cards and even adorning the side of aircraft – a tradition known as nose art and upheld to this day by Virgin Atlantic.
A term often associated with pin-up imagery is ‘cheesecake’, said to derive from an American term used to describe a pretty woman (as in ‘better than cheesecake’).
The genre remained popular right through the late 1960’s until the interests of feminism and political correctness brought about it’s demise.
There were many famous pin-up artists, each with their own distinctive style, and there are still many collectors and admirers of this style of imagery even today, hence it’s resurgence in demand along with the boudoir trend.
Choosing a Photography Style
Boudoir photography encompasses many styles and each specialist photographer will have his or her own ideas and interpretation. The message here then would be to find a photographer who’s style appeals to you visually, rather than be swayed by any particular label or phrase which may or may not be in fashion at the moment.
