Sexton vs. Plath vs. Labels

To lump Anne Sexton with the "confessional" poets is a disservice. Simply because she studied with Robert Lowell (who's book Life Studies was the first to be dubbed as confessional) and Sylvia Plath does not make it so. Since Plath was certainly confessional, I think the fact that they were friends and contemporary peers, and both died at their own hand, forces the label on Sexton as well. I think the difference between Plath and Sexton is this:
Plath conveys the disillusionment, horror, highs and lows of her life through her poetry as a means of release. All the doubt and anxiety she felt became, for a time at least, not hers as she transferred it to the page. Then it was ours. Unfortunately, the well from which these feelings sprung ran deep, and she could never expunge fast enough. Her work was more nakedly autobiographical than Sexton's. Confessional is an appropriate label for her.
Sexton, through her personal narrative was examining the horror in society, in particular relationships and intimacy. She wasn't so much exposing her soul to us as she was letting the dark and uncomfortable of the world filter through her soul. Sexton craved the spotlight. She was only completely comfortable when she was "on," reading her poetry. A confession is a deeply personal thing, and one who is making it does not draw attention to herself. I know that Plath submitted poems from an early age and was published often, but she still kept herself at arms length from the spotlight.
I sense that writing poetry for Plath was like cutting herself open and bleeding words on to paper. I see Sexton as a black hole who sucks everything around her into herself and then spits poetry out the other end.