It’s no secret there’s a consistent lapse in recognizing the sexuality of people who have become known as “women of a certain age,” especially in the entertainment industry. French-born, Los Angeles-based photographer Marie Baronnet slaps that idea in the face, however, with her series Legends. For Legends, Baronnet photographed former burlesque performers, who are all between 65 and 90 years of age, in their homes, sometimes in their original costumes. The women who performed under names like Lottie the Body, Viva La Fever, and Bambi Jones are equal parts inviting and vulnerable in Baronnet’s images, much as they must have been onstage as performers. Through Baronnet’s images they are in the spotlight again, hair flying in the wind, sparkling beads hanging from their hips, lips and eyes painted into smouldering darkness.
Source: Titillating Portraits of Female Burlesque Performers Of a Certain Age – Feature Shoot