Title: Playboy: The Celebrities Author: Introduction by Hugh Hefner, Afterword by Gary Col Publisher: Chonicle Books Publish Date: 2006 Pages: 176 Genres:: Straight Photography,Reviewer: J. Henry

Rating:

Playmates and performers encompass Playboy: The Celebrities photo collection. Celebrities may be thought of as ‘a greatest hits’ of sort for the magazine seen round the world. There are more than 150 color and black & white photos of actresses, models, as well as playmates turned actresses from the magazine’s inception in the 1950s to 2005. The first playmate was Marilyn Monroe, a woman who seems to define sex. Monroe’s photos were taken before she became the blonde bombshell she’d be synonymous with in life and death. From there, viewers are treated to an array of beauties as young as 20 to middle aged femme fatales.

Of the many magazines available that offer seductive pictures of nude women, Playboy has always been considered the “classy” one, not going for gratuitous shots of genitalia or women posing in sexual situations that may be reminiscent of adult films. The women who decided to bare all (or not) indulge the viewer’s fantasy while towing the line a bit in regards to art.

There are photographs that are extremely breathtaking purely for the effort placed in the model’s environment and not just her makeup, like the photo spread by Richard McLaren of former Go-Go’s singer Belinda Carlisle in a Japanese setting. In one classic shot, Carlisle looks over a bed of water, her buttocks in full view with a bamboo hat hanging down her backside. In another, the singer looks fetching in a silk Asian robe reminiscent of a geisha as she lies in a plush red bed, half her body covered in smooth fabric, the other half apparent and her ‘come hither’ gaze practically beckoning to you. Carlisle looks gorgeous for a mother of a teenage son and doesn’t give a hint of her 43 years in any photo displayed.

Pin-ups such as Dita von Teese, a burlesque dancer with a few acting credits to her name, is most notably recognized for being the soon-to-be ex-wife of rocker Marilyn Manson. Her spread caters to her personality of action and trademark of being in a large martini glass while dousing herself with water. The most eye-catching photo is that of her mimicking the image of a peacock with luscious, pink feathers cascading behind her as she looks into the camera adoringly on her tippy-toes in matching pink ballet shoes. Her dark features, contrasted with her pale skin and the vibrant colors around her allow for one to appreciate the full beauty the photographer sought to capture.

While some photos capture the personality of the model, others seem very basic in wanting to flaunt a gorgeous body with very little in the background to detract from the muse. Pictures of actresses Rae Dawn Chong, Teri Polo or model Cindy Crawford use the model as the sole aesthetic, while others like Bridgette Nielsen’s photo under fishnet, Ursula Andress painted in yellow and green with tiger stripes or Muriel Hemingway doing a full split in a gym setting dare to be different, which is what Playboy is about: variety.

Hugh Hefner notes in the introduction that this compilation doesn’t only include celebrities who decided to pose for Playboy, but playmates who went on to become actresses. The popularity of Anna Nicole Smith and Pamela Anderson bares them as the epitome of what Playboy can do for you once you grace the cover. There are also photographs of more well-known actresses/musicians before their popularity. Madonna, Melanie Griffith, and Kim Basinger have graced the pages and perhaps may not have posed for Playboy specifically, but their bare backsides and breasts serve as a staple in time during their youth. Models such as Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell (ironically one photo shows her merrily on the phone), and Stephanie Seymour have done pictorials, while older celebrities such as Jayne Mansfield, Jodi Whatley, and Nancy Sinatra have graced the covers. Mansfield and Monroe were considered beauties of their time for being voluptuous, as time moves forward we see that the svelte frame with over-exaggerated breasts has become more the “norm.”

Hugh Hefner’s also manages to wrap up the photo spread with pictures of current girlfriends, Kendra Wilkinson, Bridget Marquardt and Holly Madison in a stretch limo, giggling and laughing together in the buff while Holly holds a handicam to record the moment for posterity.

 As a coffee-table book or for those who are fans of celebrity spreads, Celebrities is an ideal find and a perfect addition for the growing Playboy book collector. The variety of older and younger poster women, whose body types range in size and curves supply viewer’s with the right amount of diversity to see that Playboy tries to satisfy a larger audience overall, which explains why it has been so successful over the past 50 years.