A friend on VEF shared his thoughts with me about Karen. It’s not something he wanted to post himself, but it expresses a wonderful thought about his favorite photo and Karen’s enduring appeal, which I think will speak to all of Karen’s fans. I hope others will share their thoughts as well.
"The thing about Karen that makes her so unique to me is the quality of her eye contact with the camera. She seems to look right through the camera and sense the lust she would inspire in all the men who would view her pictorial. I don't think she wants her admirers to be embarrassed by their reaction to her pictorial, but rather to indulge in it. Her eyes invite you to give in to the fantasy of what it would be like to be with her. She knew that over a million men would fantasize about her that month. Her expression is one of a confident sex goddess who knew her effect on men. Whether she knew the hold she would have on some of us for decades is anyone’s guess.
My favorite photo, in which Karen poses with her lingerie belt, projects her sexual power and prowess more effectively than virtually any other photo I have ever seen. The thrusting forward of her breast, her arousal, and the expression of lust and desire on her lips and in her eyes, makes it the perfect picture for me.
She projects an awareness of her sex goddess status and draws us into a dream of what it would be like to be with her. The tilt of her head and the expression on her face communicate to me the complexity of her understanding about the effect she has on men. She knows that she is one of the most beautiful women of her generation and the power that gives her. You can tell by her expression that she has sympathy for us. There are other women who possess similar physiques, but they project only contempt for their admirers. Karen is exceptional because she is the sympathetic sex goddess who knows that she cannot satisfy our longing to be with her, but wants to communicate to us the transcendent joy of what making love to her would be like.
When I view playmates for all the other eras of playboy, the women of the late 70s and early 80s are the ones that to me were the sexiest...with Karen being the ultimate girl-next-door beauty."