To: pml1@yahoogroups.com Subject: [PML1] Classic Centerfold: Liz Stewart From: Mark Tomlonson Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 13:34:56 -0400 Women come in all colors. Much to the advantage of heterosexual men everywhere, so does feminine beauty. On the other side of the coin from the pastels of Julia Lyndon's Classic Centerfold are the dark, warm, rich colors of the July 1984 Classic Centerfold of Liz Stewart, photographed by Kerry Morris. Like several other Playmates (e.g. Linda Gamble, Tonya Crews and Sandy Johnson) Liz really comes into her own in her centerfold. It's by far the best picture Playboy has published of her. Liz is seated, legs folded, in a chair. The camera is in close so that Liz fills almost the entire frame. By having her legs crossed a sense of stability is added to the composition as well as introducing a slight curve to Liz's right side. The entire photo is composed in vertical thirds, a common and not unsatisfying arrangement. The pose is very flattering to Liz, and a similar pose was also used to fine effect in one of Tawnni Cable's Playboy calendar shots. It allows Liz's breasts to form a very attractive and pleasing shape. She has enough muscle fitness and tone that the slight sagging caused by leaning forward a bit in the chair gives her stomach a rounded, soft appeal instead of the love handles that some others would have. We seem to have caught Liz just prior to a romantic encounter. She has removed all but the barest essentials of her Bunny costume, certainly nothing that will get in the way of any activity (except for those with a wrist or neck fetish!). The camera has moved in so close that, with the exception of the back of the chair, all we see is Liz herself. Liz carries an expression on her face that is clearly inviting, the invitation being reinforced by the positioning of her legs. Unlike in some other centerfolds, the question of being on her turf or the viewer's is neither posed nor answered. We're past the point where negotiation is part of the mix. Between the implied situation, the close camera position, Liz's legs and her inviting smile, there is an extremely high sense of intimacy here. Liz has a lovely, even brown skin tone, and it's presented here with all the care and finesse it deserves. Judging from the color of the stripes on the chair, I'd say Liz was photographed with a fairly dense filter to really warm up the scene. And boy, does it! I can almost feel the warmth coming off Liz's body. Not the slightly moist, slightly smelly warmth of a hard work-out, but the soft, dry warmth that makes a close cuddle so appealing. And to be able to get that close to a woman as lovely as Liz . . . And to be able to get that close to a woman as naked as Liz . . . The sense of warmth, coupled with the look of invitation, is what makes this centerfold a Classic. To look at this centerfold is to see not only outstanding beauty, but shade upon shade of rich browns, deftly accented by the starched white of Liz's collar and cuffs. The original Bunny costume left off collars and cuffs, adding them puts accents at just the right places creating in my eyes a delightful reinforcement of the softer and more delicate nature that defines a feminine body. The Bunny costume looks better with them and Liz looks better with them too. They tie in with Liz's lovely, dancing, inviting eyes and help our own eyes scan across the centerfold time and again as we move from cuffs to eyes to collar to eyes to cuffs . . . July 1984 was one of just ten centerfolds with a Kerry Morris credit. It's one of the few Playboy centerfolds I can elevate to the status of a Classic. Mark Tomlonson Kalamazoo MI