To: pml1@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [PML1] Classic Centerfold: Gwen Wong
From: Mark Tomlonson
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2003 10:48:56 -0400

When looking back over the foldouts Playboy has published some are more 
memorable than others. Gwen Wong's April 1967 centerfold by Mario 
Casilli is not only a standout, but is one of those that for me defines 
what Playboy was in the late sixties.

Take a look at the colors. The furniture, stack of pillows, 
wallcoverings, the two pictures on the wall and all mutes earth tones in 
the solid, rich color values that were popular in the days before "Miami 
Vice". No pastels, and no "musty grey" colors that are common in houses 
now. The pillows in particular have this strong tonal quality.

Placed amid these dark tones is Gwen in vivid spring green and white, 
outlined in a brightly-lit doorway. This is no pastel, wimpy green she's 
wearing, but a strong, forceful green that can hold its own while 
providing a marked contrast to the rest of the set. The green sweater 
and matching socks are patterned in a strong argyle, in contrast to the 
solid colors in everything else. The total effect "pops" her out o the 
background.

None of these colors would have come across as well ten or even five 
years earlier (cf. Laura Young 10/62); the printing technology was just 
not as affordable. Playboy by 1967 was enjoying some of its greatest 
success and its increased ad, newsstand and subscription sales allowed 
it to use screens, inks and presses which capture these color values.

Gwen has been placed "just" to the left of center, giving the 
composition enough tension to catch our eye without threatening to 
overwhelm the other compositional elements. She is sitting straight 
legged, on the back of the chair, the right leg that carries her weight 
extending toward the viewer and extending the line of her head and 
torso. But it's the placement of her left leg and right arm and the 
triangular shapes they form on either side of the head-torso line that 
are the dominant compositional elements of the centerfold. The 
contrasting white belt and the skirt's hemline, while merely supporting 
players in this composition, do their job well in restating the tension 
between the vertical axis and the triangles. The triangles have been 
placed in what an art professor of mine would call a "perfect" design - 
you cannot change them without either changing the entire effect or 
coming up with a weaker composition. (Although he was talking about the 
curves in a Jaguar XKE, I've always found the same rules apply to the 
curves in a Playboy Centerfold.) The best evidence of the "perfection" 
of this design is to compare the original April 1967 foldout with 
Madonna's imitation in her "Sex" book. Madonna's body is proportioned 
just differently enough from Gwen's that even though Madonna is striking 
the same pose the pose is not as striking. It is a mark of Playboy's 
high standards that they took the time to find a pose that so perfectly 
suited their model.

The art director of this effort has defined a situation where we catch 
Gwen in the process of undressing, perhaps after returning to L.A. from 
the trip to Vegas that we saw in the PMOM feature. (I'm not sure tugging 
on that argyle is going to remove it either soon or gracefully!) There 
is a clear element of sexual invitation, although it is very subtle by 
current standards and perhaps even a little covert. Gwen's sweater is 
unbuttoned and falls on either side of her breasts, outlining them and 
drawing attention to them by way of contrast with the sweater's pattern. 
She is just barely leaning forward, presenting a very flattering line to 
her breasts. The angle of Gwen's delightfully short skirt focuses our 
attention at one corner of the triangle formed by her left leg, proof 
positive (if proof was really needed) that it is possible to use a "fig 
leaf" in a centerfold without it detracting one iota from the eroticism 
of the pin-up.

But despite the clear invitation, it is equally clear by the look in 
Gwen's eyes that this is by no means a done deal. The wrong word will 
quickly retire Gwen to her boudoir, sweater buttoned and both feet 
firmly on the floor, leaving the viewer to ponder his folly as her 
returns to his apartment.

Alone.

Gwen's eyes are the strongest feature of the centerfold, even 
outweighing the argyle. They communicate volumes. They offer both the 
welcome invitation and the warning that nothing is certain. They hint at 
the possibilities of great delights. Not in a racist, "Mysteries of the 
Orient" kind of way, but on a more basic, human level. Gwen does not 
need to spread, prod or pull herself like a Penthouse model to be sexy - 
it's all caught in her eyes.

You'd thin that with Gwen's eyes being such a strong part of her appeal 
that I'd be more conscious of her race; eye shape being an identifying 
feature of Asians. But I've always thought of Gwen as a sexy woman who 
is Asian, in contrast to, say, China Lee, who comes across to me as a 
sexy Asian woman. Why the difference? I haven't the slightest idea. With 
women that strike me as beautiful as Gwen and China do, I'm afraid I'd 
lose a lot by analyzing too much. (BTW this also happens with women of 
my own race. E.g. Carrie Stevens is a sexy woman who is Caucasian while 
Holly Witt is a sexy Caucasian woman. Go figure.)

Gwen's eyes lead us also to the weakest part of the centerfold: her 
hair. The hairstyle chosen, which is certainly no worse and even a bit 
better than some others of 35 years ago, places a lot of hair on the top 
of her head. The effect when she tips her head forward slightly in the 
centerfold pose is to drop her eyes below the centerline of her face. 
This gives her a slightly alien/extraterrestrial/Ms. Brain look. Maybe 
lifting her head up and then tilting to her left would have been better.

Gwen Wong will hold a special place in my mind, if for no other reason 
than the way she has made argyle so memorable.

Mark Tomlonson
Kalamazoo MI