The Secret Lives Of Good Girls: A Striking Photo-Series Exploring Female Sexuality

Published on:

08 Jun 2021, 12:16 pm

4 min read

The sexual revolution that emerged in the latter half of the 20th century in the West has only begun to manifest in India. Decriminalisation of section 377 was probably one of its cornerstones that will be remembered for decades to come - but apart from that, our progress is minimal. And the idea of sex, especially for women, continues to remain a taboo. But with the explosion of artists using social media, a relatively liberal platform, to express their views, perceptions are now slowly changing. And ‘free love’, although a distant reality, is still freer than it was a decade ago.

However, attitudes and behaviour towards sex - including fetishes, BDSM, premarital sex, and contraception - are still conservative. Mumbai-based photographer Roshini Kumar’s recent photo-series is challenging exactly that. An ironic commentary on the culture of India, Bad Company - The Secret Lives Of Good Girls is inspired by the sexual revolution that began in the United States in the 1960s. It was a time when being sexually open and liberated was encouraged through secret underground parties and communities, yet premarital sex was still considered a sin for women of that society – something still prevalent in Indian society today.

Photography & Creative Direction: Roshini Kumar

In Kumar’s photo series, we witness a secret underground world of women, as they unapologetically own and live out their sexual fantasies, portrayed in a mundane way. “I wanted to portray sex and sexual fetishes in a very normal way, like it’s not a big thing. Because it really is not. It’s also ironic how the concept of free love had started all the way back in 1960 and we still haven’t achieved its goal”, she tells us. That is not to say that India hasn’t made any progress. But, as Kumar agrees, India is still pretty close-minded and hypocritical, and the taboos associated with sex, gender, and sexuality are endless. “It’s not possible to change people’s minds so easily as they they have been conditioned for years now. It will be a slow process but I am hopeful.”

As one of Kumar’s most fun shoots, Bad Company was created by a group of dynamic women who simply spent a casual Sunday bringing out their sexuality, without any fear of judgement. As Utopian as that sounds, the photographer had her own apprehensions about how such a bold photo series would be perceived by her audience. “Even though the uncensored content was only on my website, the shoot shows sex and BDSM in all its glory. So I was sure someone would report it. Moreover, platforms these days have unnecessary ‘community guidelines’ to follow and practice the same toxic logic. There are multiple rape meme accounts, actual porn, abusive accounts, etc. How is an artist showing a nipple worse than that in any way?” she shares with us.

Photography & Creative Direction: Roshini Kumar

However, the response that Kumar received was quite contrary to her fears. Most of Kumar’s followers were extremely happy to see such a ‘hush-hush’ topic like sex being addressed so boldly. With a sea of positive comments to keep her going, Kumar is more determined than ever to explore unconventional topics and is currently working on her own magazine called ‘Revolution’ - a safe, open, uncensored space for artists like herself. She is also working on her BARE series for January 2019.