Title: Four Inches Author: Foreword by Sit Elton John Publisher: Scriptum Editions Publish Date: 2005 Pages: 144 Genres:: Straight Photography,Reviewer: SexHerald Staff

Rating:

Would you like to see model Kate Moss sprawled on the floor naked smoking a cigar? Or Paris Hilton naked behind the wheel of a truck with her tiny dog nestled between her bare legs? Or perhaps her sister Nicky Hilton, as she perches on one knee in the kitchen, coyly licking frosting off her finger? You don't need to close your eyes and daydream. Just pick up Four Inches and turn the page. There you will find model/actress Rebecca Romijn naked except for the rooster she clutches tightly against her body. Or Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, gazing out from another page, as she lolls on a couch beneath a black satin sheet, ebony fishnets clinging to her lovely white legs.

"Sex sells" and "noble pursuit" are two phrases you rarely hear attributed to the same project, but Four Inches proves a notable exception, as proceeds from its sales will support AIDS research and treatment for women and children in Africa suffering with the disease.

The glossy spread features a foreword penned by Sir Elton John, and unfolds into a compilation of beautiful, famous women photographed in the nude. With the models clad in Jimmy Choos and Cartier jewels (both companies were supporters of the project) photographers from around the globe participated, including Mary McCartney Donald, Amanda Eliasch, and Ellen Von Unwerth. Locations range from Switzerland to Malibu, California.

After looking at a few of these steamy pictures, you might want to be alone. Singers Kelis and Christina Aguilera beckon you closer, with Kelis wrapped tightly in the black cord of a microphone, and Christina curled up in a bathtub. Lara Flynn Boyle makes black and white red hot in the photo of her bound to a tree with rope strapped across her breasts and lower torso.

Landscapes play off fleshscapes to compelling effect in Four Inches, and it is to the credit of both photographer and model. Many of the images seem to capture a more accessible, natural, and emotional kind of female beauty. My favorite was seeing a supermodel like Rachel Hunter reclining in a lawn chair like a goddess, a baby cooing beside her on a blanket. Four Inches attests to the fact that charity may begin at home, but it can also be achieved while in the raw.