Why is it that we hate a woman’s lust?
Yet a heterosexual romance has always been shown to be a woman’s greatest adventure…
‘Your lust is dangerous you unruly woman
Your lust for food, adventure, for life.’
We can be either Eve or Lilith.
Mother or monster
I will teach my daughter to be reliably wild
To look large in a life that will tell her to diminish
To bite and tear and taste
I will dance freely across my lover’s spine
Mapping a future with limbs intertwined
Dancing a story of lust
Bite, taste, love
Across continents
My tongue touches the roof of my mouth as I smile and become both maiden and vixen, for both can be true at once as I twist the word into my lips.
Sweet not bitter
Do not fear
Lust

This series of photos were taken by Ukranian photographer Sergii Muzhchill and inspired by a series of conversations between model, actor and writer Maya Pillay around the concept of lust and the male gaze.

“As a multidisciplinary artist, it’s often hard to balance societies preconceptions of sexuality and lust with my work as a writer and actor,” explains Pillay. “In today’s society my brown body is seen as something I can financially benefit from in a way I feel I have ownership over, however in doing so I jeopardise being regarded as a serious artist. Most of my writing focuses on women and feminist principles and I’m still getting to grips with the capitalist value on my appearance vs my principles.”

This series of images explores both the movement of a body and the need to cover and hide. We wanted to marry the strength of the body with the softness of fabrics and examine the duality of being both the storyteller and the subject, being watched and how we would like to be seen.

Words & Model Maya Pillay
Photography Sergii Muzhchill

Clothing lace shorts & lingerie Goosberry Intimates trousers Rat & Boa bikini Tann Line