Karen Elaina Price

[ruderberry]

Some long-delayed thoughts on Miss Price's pictorial and related matters.

Regarding her physical beauty, has any Playmate ever been blessed with more eye-catching areolae? They're especially captivating in the hot-tub shots, when her nipples gradually erect and draw attention to the perfect platforms on which they stand. Her dampened hair adds to the erotic appeal of these images.

It's obvious - both from the number and variety of shots and from Miss Price's subsequent testimony - that she was made to work extremely hard throughout the shoot. For this, of course, Ken Marcus deserves praise and gratitude: a photographer's task is to get the maximum return from his subject, and this is particularly true when a young lady has achieved centerfold status.

So, even a small detail can produce a big reward. When Miss Price joins her hands behind her head while in a reclining pose, the full-frontal effect is electrifying, all the more so since the red garter-belt contrasts so strikingly with her black bush.

Could the shoot have been any better? I think so, with reference to three specific areas.

First, I wish Miss Price had worn panties in some of the shots. This would have increased the "tease" factor, and added to the enjoyment of eventually seeing her fully revealed.

Second, I think a basque would have been ideal for some of the images. Remember how delightful Charlotte Kemp (Miss December 1982) looked? If ever a Playmate had the perfect shape for a mini-corset, it was Miss Price. Just imagine how a basque would have pinched and tightened that incredible body to enhance our viewing pleasure.

Third, the down-on-all-fours poses are lacking in one respect: we don't see her crawling towards the camera. No explanation needed, I think!

Finally, in relation to the boxing event that caused Miss Price distress, let me say this. Fight fans are not noted for high-mindedness. The event in question sounds like an especially down-market affair, and the way she was publicized in advance did her no favors. Perhaps she was left to reflect that when a magazine's motto is "Entertainment for Men", certain men take the phrase quite literally and don't look beyond it. (Do we know if the promotion featured scantily-clad round-card girls for the men to lust after?)

The broader point is this. It's possible that PB told its Playmates they would be involved in a number of promotional events, without going into too much detail. In some cases the specifics proved unpleasant, especially for a sweet-hearted young lady such as Miss Price.

[profvolup]

Originally Posted by Patty Hearst

Karen Price pretty much ruined the rabbit mag for me. Aside from a few others - Patty Farinelli, Alana Soares, Charlotte Kemp and one or two others who came close - they never found women whose sheer sexiness could top Karen and most fell FAR short of the mark. In my opinion Karen Price was as good as it got and it never got that good again.

The voluptuous brunette Playmates of the '80s have been and always will be the greatest implement of complete cuvature and lustful charisma that the Rabbit mag will likely ever produce.

I'm not trying to sell any other decade short, but the sheer number of ejaculate I have expended to them will never be topped by all other decades ... combined ... in my remaining lifetime. I originally 'met' Petra Verkiak -- I was a 'late bloomer' when it came to porn, and had girlfriends and was intimate before I ever saw one -- and then worked back from there.

They just solidified why I went for curvy brunettes, not so much busty, just curvy. The breasts were always 'the bonus' when women had such small mid-sections with wide chests and fanning hips.

[PriceIsRight]

I wanted to revisit the issue that first drew us to this special woman. This is the issue that captivated viewers like me and eventually led me to the forum. I’m not going to add anything that has not been so eloquently stated before, but I’m a fan and wished to share my view.



The reader is introduced to an elegant cover with the statuesque Barbara Bach. PB is in its prime and it attracted beautiful celebrities who would have the opportunity of a shoot with the best photographers of the era. At his time, the rabbit mag has the prestige that many women would be proud to say they were selected to appear in the publication, much less be on the cover, much less a playmate.



As we move on to the table of contents we see all the month has to offer. Of course, the centerfold is the first place to search. This is where we get a small glimpse into what is to come. And they picked the perfect photo from the layout. Karen’s beautiful face and that expression! Even without the rest of the picture, that look causes me to melt. The first time reader will know that he is going to be treated to images of a lovely brunette, but truly does not know what he is in for.



When we first see Karen’s layout we are given the perfect introduction to this glorious woman. This is where PB stood out. It introduced you to the person. Yes, you were here to see provocative photos of beautiful women, but the selling point was seeing the girl next door. A glimpse into the personality of the model added to her attractiveness. This would prove to count tenfold for Karen. The photo on the left shows that radiant smile that we have come to love. She is having fun outdoors in the sun playing with the squirrel. She is going to appear in the best glamour magazine of the day that has featured some of the most glamorous women in print. And her beauty will be celebrated as the playmate of the month!

These photos were going to be memorable simply because Karen is the model, but we were so lucky to have Ken Marcus as the photographer of the layout. Understanding the use of light is the bread and butter of any photographer, but Ken was the best one in the mag in my opinion. We are entranced by the rim light hitting her chestnut hair; perfect as it plays down on to light summer shirt and taking us to the squirrel in her hand. But the viewer’s keeps going back to that amazing face, enjoying it before moving on. Even the first time viewer has to been captivated by that smile. She is the joyful girl next door and this photo is an excellent introduction.



The inset on the right teases Karen’s glorious form. Even this small photo makes the reader say, “Wow!” Karen is on Muscle Beach, one of her favorite places to visit. Her gleaming smile still stands out in the small images and she is confident and lovely with hands on her hips. Even in the introduction we see her incredible form. The leotard hugs tightly on her figure letting the first time viewer know that they have probably seen amazing playmates before, but what’s coming next is something special.



The next page shows Karen in a private setting giving us a chance to view Karen’s talents. The photo on the top far right lets us know that this isn’t just a beautiful model, but an athlete! The bottom photo shows Karen the performer showing us all she can do in this flexible pose. Karen is proud to show off. She is beautiful, strong, and talented and today she is the center of attention. The leotard that had enough work to do in the earlier picture is pushed to its limits as her chest pushes forward and strains the straps. It’s a shame this photo is not larger since it is the perfect tease. The viewer is awed by her shapely toned figure in an elegant pose revealing most, but not all that we have come to see. We bathe in her beauty while hoping the straps will give way. Fortunately, we don’t need to be patient.

“I was flat-chested until the age of 16, and then–boom!—all of a sudden, in three months I developed. Needless to say, they created some gymnastics problems; as you can imagine, large breasts throw off your balance.”

Boom! Indeed…Her top is off and her breasts are out in all their glory. These are the breasts that have inspired countless comments throughout the VEF forums and elsewhere. The first time viewer is likely thrown off balance as he mouths “Oh..my..God” at their perfection. Like all the poses on this page Karen does not face the camera. We are given the fantasy of a viewer looking in on her practicing her craft. It’s an excellent pinup photo where Karen acts unaware of the viewer, but the pose is explicitly for his benefit. She is on her tip toes to enhance her calves. We look on up her athletic thighs to the leotard being pulled off to reveal almost all of Karen’s assets. Her stomach is flat as she leans forward and moves her chest out so her large breasts are on display. The reader would revel in this image, but he cannot ignore the page on the right.



This is the reader’s introduction to the boudoir set and it is one hell of an image. Ken Marcus was lucky enough to shoot images of countless amazing women while working for PB, but I can’t help thinking that he really looked forward to this shoot. The set is perfect with the shiny brass bed, satin sheets, and furs to enhance the fantasy as we gaze on Karen, imagining we could be with her. Ken does a perfect job of having a primary light on the side so the light is forced to move around her figure. Karen’s curves are put on full display.

And here she is, January 1981 Playmate of the month. I expect this an exciting moment for all playmates when they are in these scenes. This is what sells PB. And Karen is on full display with her translucent robe almost completely off. Now Ken requests a pose that he would wisely use for other voluptuous models. He asks Karen to use the belt from the robe to frame her sensual breasts. She obliges and gently tugs them in, as her left breast spills out slightly from the constraint. This is definitely a pose where Ken instructs her to move her hips, shoulder, and head to get that elegant curve. Her back is curved slightly as she pushes out to emphasize her busty shape that the viewer has been hoping to see. And thank God for tan lines! It’s hard to imagine how to accentuate Karen’s figure, but those tan lines caress her pelvis and breasts in a way that disables the reader’s self-control. Karen’s light smile is perfect as the seductive fantasy is in full swing and Karen is happy to show the world her full beauty. We turn the page to see more…



The inset is a simple pose, but Karen’s figure makes it exceptional. Just a simple instruction from Ken to bend over…more… more. Karen knows what he is looking for and balances herself against the bedframe. It’s a good thing Karen is a gymnast since she remains in high heels and her balance is again tried by her large breasts. But now gravity does its job and begs her large breasts toward the floor. Ken adjusts the lights so the shadows move around her glorious figure, but the highlight is her chest.

I have to think that when Ken saw Karen he understood the viewer would want to view those splendid breasts from every angle, every possible pose. We are wowed again to behold them. I think cqnew1648 put it best,

“Karen’s breasts are extraordinary. They change in kaleidoscopic ways as she moves. They are as changeable and expressive as her face, which is why they are, like everything about her, incomparable. “

Well said.

Again, we could pause on this image, but its two page layout demands the eye.



“I’m very simple when it comes to things that turn me on sexually. I like the basics—gentle-ness, romance, kissing, And I don’t like to call it sex; I call it making love.”

It’s the perfect quote to be placed alongside this image. And this image…my Lord…this image. This is the image that is, for me, the true high point of the Karen’s PB fantasy. This is an image where I imagine Ken asked her to cross her legs and Karen naturally bent forward and hit the right pose. She moves her shoulders in as she pushes her chest forward and her sumptuous pale breasts drop forward hanging gloriously from her perfectly toned body. The fur pillow and fur skin on the satin sheets push the tactile desire even more. This is one of those images where I think Karen is fully caught up in the shoot. I expect the gentle fur on her skin pulled her even further into the erotic session. Karen clearly revels in the act of making love as she states in her writing here and elsewhere. It’s a natural, beautiful occasion for her. Though it is an activity that she participates in with the few men who connect with her, today she is on full display showing herself in her full natural state for the play of fantasy.

And oh…that expression. It drew us in earlier, but now we see it in full context. She gives that knowing, light flirtatious smile under the luscious brown hair as she knows that the viewer will look with astonishment at her perfect body. She is a confident, beautiful goddess whose every move drives us crazy.

Later photos of the shoot would show how fun the pose was for her as her smile grew bigger and she spreads her legs on the furs so she can lean forward more to edge her breasts even further out. She has magnificent large shapely breasts and she is loving the chance to show and entice the viewer with them. We are fortunate for this as she could have been more placid and still would have awed us. But it is that playful essence that pushes this layout to such extremes that it stays with us today.



It probably takes a little bit to move on. But the final page before the foldout is a stunner. We are hoping for something special, already enthralled with Karen’s beauty, but the final image is what we hoped for but probably didn’t expect to see in the rabbit mag. The shadows again play perfectly on her body. The robe is partially on, but we still see all we were hoping to see. Karen is laid back and doing what the viewer has been dreaming of doing from the start. She holds her voluptuous breasts up as her fingers spread to attempt to hold as much of them as they can. And they are a handful. A volume that almost appears unmanageable. Her right hand holding up the side as her fingers barely make it halfway around her breast's perfect shape. Her left hand mimics the right and begins lightly squeezing the left breast enjoying her own touch. She then spreads her legs showing us what has mostly been hidden in the layout. The tan lines again highlighting her divine assets including the luscious hair between her thighs. Karen’s pose provokes us as she is completely exposing her transcendent body for the camera. It is Karen putting it all out there and the viewer’s fantasy is allowed to run wild. The doe eyed expression on her beautiful face is perfect. After all we have seen, so much to take in, to come to this sexually charged photo and have her look as if asking if we desire her pushes us to our breaking point. My God, what a woman! What a photo! Ken had to know he would have this in the layout when he took it.



At this point, the first time viewer finally sees the centerfold. It’s hard to imagine it will live up to the rest of the layout, but it does. This is an image Ken must have planned early on taking photos of Karen. He is doing everything to push her curvaceous body to the limits. This is the centerfold and it should highlight the best the model has to offer, but there is so much here for the eye. Again, Ken makes great use of the robe and furs caressing her skin. The robe placed to enhance her amazing curves. And we are above her now. This time she looks at the camera without question. Her head is tilted up in a seductive and confident manner as her brown hair spills out to frame beautiful face. Her shoulders, chest, and hips are positioned to make the viewer desire her curvaceous figure even more. Her breasts again fall into perfect form. The left escaping the confines of her robe, while the right forms a perfect bountiful circle for the viewer with the pale highlights illustrating their form even more. The belt brings the eye along her flat stomach eventually to her nubile waist. This is a full on glamour shot that would be the calling card for Karen and the shoot. And what an image! We have seen Karen in her full glory and this is the icing on that cake.



Going back to the black and white photos we skipped in our fever to see her centerfold we see Karen in all her natural glory. A fun photo on Muscle Beach and Karen naked and having fun in the water and on the beach. Excellent photos (though black and white) that remind us this goddess we are viewing is a down to earth young woman enjoying life in her prime.

Whew…that was a lot longer than I expected. But I think this layout is a treasure for PB fans and the fact I can go on and on and on about the photos decades later speaks to Karen’s beauty and Ken Marcus’ talent. It’s a layout that has had us begging for more years later and even with the numerous photos collected here we still want to see more of her. From other photos she has been in outside of PB it appears she loved the modeling and glamour photos. If she had been spared the exposure to those who cannot separate fantasy from reality she may have stayed with the magazine.

I have echoed what has been stated numerous times in this group. The final statement I want to echo is that I am happy that Karen’s life moved on to be a wonderful one. A career as a stunt-woman, an acrobat, a happy family, this is a women who it appears has fulfilled her dreams! I am thankful we have had the chance to gaze on her amazing physical beauty and find out that she is an even more beautiful person!


Mod note; no more edits

[cqnew1648]

I hope fellow fans won’t mind if I share a few more thoughts about how and why Karen came to be a Playmate, because as we all know, there may not have been a more reluctant Playmate in the history of Playboy. Trying to understand Karen from a distance is fraught with difficulties, and the last thing I would want to do as a fan is impose my thoughts on her. I wish I could be a friend of Karen in some alternate universe in which our paths crossed, so I’d have a real chance to know her. Yet if I were lucky enough to be her friend, I’d never be so inconsiderate as to ask about that part of her past, which she’s so firmly put behind her; and if I were to ask, she probably wouldn’t volunteer anything, so I’d still be in the dark. She’s such an interesting person, however, and such an unlikely Playmate (except for her charm and phenomenal beauty), that it’s hard not to think about her from afar and marvel at how lucky we are that she posed. It was a near thing.



As I said in my post celebrating Karen’s 2 millionth view on VEF, she was “totally game” by the time she posed for her layout. It’s hard to know, however, how Karen got to that point. I don’t doubt the importance of what a friend on VEF suggested—that she, like many “good girls,” may have had an “inner desire” to appear nude and turn men on. A number of my beautiful friends, good California girls all, skinny dipped at night with the guys, for the thrill and the adulation, in the heady days of the 1970s and early 1980s. Playboy, because of its glamor and respectability, gave Karen (a good California girl herself) an opportunity to do the same on a grand scale. But that’s the problem—the grand scale.

I’m pretty sure (although I’m not totally sure) that none of my beautiful, skinny-dipping friends would have accepted an invitation from Playboy. Wowing guys you knew well in high school or college was one thing, especially if your boyfriend and several of your female friends came along to ensure the guys didn’t get any wrong ideas. Wowing millions of strangers would have been quite another. My friends would have felt exposed, and they would have worried that people would get the wrong idea about their character. That’s exactly how Karen felt, as she confessed, when the idea of posing for Playboy was first presented to her. She probably would have enjoyed skinny dipping with the guys under the right circumstances. In fact, Karen did go skinny dipping with us!



She even struck a pose.



And like my friends, Karen enjoyed making love with boyfriends who cared for her. She made no bones about that. She wasn’t a prude, and as she said in Dear Playmates, she enjoyed her sexual freedom. And like my friends, she enjoyed being beautiful. But appearing nude in the world’s best-selling erotic magazine—and that meant completely nude—was quite another matter. Karen wasn’t going to be able to hide under the water for most of the evening, or go just topless, as many of my skinny-dipping friends did. She was going to be in the light, in the altogether, under her own name, for all the world to see.

So how and when did Karen’s feelings change? Why did she accept Playboy’s invitation? That’s the puzzle, and where I think Karen’s ambition, and her uncertainty about her future, might have come into play.

Karen said that she “didn’t feel good about it” when her father suggested she appear nude in Playboy. “Good girls” didn’t do that sort of thing. Her first thought was “never,” and she deflected his suggestion by saying “those girls are tens!” Despite her modesty, however, Karen must have known that she was a surpassing beauty—a Ten among Tens, lovely in clothes (which she had to make herself), incomparable without. And although she was young for a Playmate, she was a strong person who knew her mind. However much family and friends wanted her to pose, and however excited Playboy’s staff was about the possibility of working with her, she would never have “gone through with it,” as she put it with an air of resignation, if she hadn’t been thinking about her future. Like my beautiful friends, Karen had much to lose as a genuine girl-next-door and greater fears to overcome than more worldly, carefree, and sexually experienced PMs. Baring herself to the world and flaunting her sexuality were huge steps for Karen, far beyond where she had ever dreamt of going. But she was unsure of her way forward, and she wanted more out of life, so she decided, I think, that it was time to roll the dice and pray for lucky sevens.

Imagine how Karen felt in the spring and summer of 1980, at age nineteen, as Playboy wooed her. She had been adrift, disinterested in college and worried about her future in show business as an acrobat and circus performer, only to find herself in the blink of an eye a prospective Playboy Playmate—soon to be celebrated as one of the most beautiful women in the world. She and we have sometimes had harsh words for her father, who solicited Playboy’s invitation and broached the subject at that fateful dinner at his house. He may, however, have been a more observant and concerned father than we once imagined. He may have been worried when his daughter lost interest in furthering her education. And he may have seen more clearly than she her uncertainty about her next step in life, her potential, and her failure to appreciate how beautiful she is and how she could profit from her smoldering sexuality, if only she’d let it out. He had seen first-hand how men, and not a few admiring women, looked at his daughter as she bounced around a gym floor in her skin-tight leotard—and she, despite her self-deprecation, had seen it too. And her father was right about Playboy and about his daughter. He knew that Playboy would open doors that would lead Karen to a happy and fulfilling career in show business, and he knew that she had the character, good sense, and self-respect not to walk through the wrong doors that Playboy might open.

Still, it took not only ambition, but courage for Karen to do what she did. We can see how hard it was for her by looking at her test photos. Playboy has only given us three. The crew’s hasty makeup job didn’t do Karen justice. But what strikes me most (if I’m right about Karen’s feelings at that time) is how uncomfortable she was. She wasn’t herself. Her warmth, her approachability, disappeared in those photos. She was cool, distant, and holding us at arm’s length, quite unlike the affectionate, outgoing person she is. We only need compare her test photos with those of Candy Loving, who smiled and flirted with us, and of Patti McGuire, who telegraphed her sex appeal. Candy and Patti had fun, and thought of their test shoots as auditions for the role they hoped to play. They wanted to make a good impression. Karen, by contrast, never broke a smile. She went through the motions, but without the least bit of enthusiasm. She opened her robe dutifully, upon request, as she stood by a studio backdrop, so Playboy could check out her breasts. But she didn’t look happy to be there. She seemed to be saying, “There they are. Just get on with it.”



She gazed at us from the bed as if we were voyeurs, seeing a glorious sight we didn’t deserve to see—a feeling intensified by the provocative way she held her stocking, as if she were a seasoned burlesque performer who’d just finished a strip. “I know what you’re thinking. Well don’t you wish! I want to be in show biz, but that’s that. We’re not a ‘thing!’” It’s a scorching hot photo, because of Karen’s beautiful curves and her cool stare. But she’s not a cool person. Karen is warm and loving to a fault. I think Karen stared at us coolly because she felt vulnerable, perhaps even violated.



And think about Karen’s feelings earlier in her audition on that bed. It’s a beautiful picture, all the more so because her photographer asked Karen to pull down her bra so her nipple just peaked out—as erotic a peek-a-boo shot as I’ve ever seen. But the look on Karen’s face is not one of engagement. It’s a look of submission, as if she were allowing Playboy to have its way with her during her initiation into the world of erotica—an initiation over which she had no control. It was PBs fantasy, not hers. She let it happen, as she lay in bed, but she wasn’t sharing the fantasy with us, making it as much her own as ours.

Perhaps she hadn’t yet understood the importance of call and response in erotica. But even if she did, I don’t think she would have embraced it at that point on her journey to being Miss January. She didn’t take control of her shoot as the object of our affection and desire, nor did she lose control as our passion and the passion of PB’s camera aroused her in turn. She was limp—nothing like the energetic, vibrant, seductive, sensual person she truly is. And she seemed almost fatalistic about her audition. She never played with the camera. It seemed a matter of indifference to her whether she passed. Playboy could take it or leave it.

I don’t mean for a minute to disparage Karen or her test photos. I’m sure the staff did everything it normally did to help her feel confident and at ease, although she may have been shocked, as I was after seeing Ken Marcus’s instructional video, at how fast-paced, business-like, and un-erotic the production of erotic art can be. Ken Marcus said that he never spent more than a half hour speaking with a Playmate before a shoot. Time was of the essence, whatever doubts, concerns, or mixed emotions a Playmate might have. I’m sure Karen felt all of those emotions going in. Half an hour wouldn’t have sufficed.

Whatever the case, Karen wasn’t in the mood for fantasy sex when she posed for her test shots. Her heart wasn’t in it. Her reticence and reluctance showed. If she had been in the same frame of mind when she posed for her layout, she would never have become, despite her beauty, the most popular Playmate among Vintage fans. I fear she felt like a deer caught in the headlights—paralyzed by fear and foreboding, and wondering if she’d made the right decision.

So how, when, and why did Karen’s mood change so markedly between her test shots and her layout? How and why did she become such a brilliant performer, so confident, so seductive, so at ease with nudity and her sexuality?



That’s one of the greatest Playboy mysteries of all time. I’m sure Karen will never help us solve it. She’d had her fill of Playboy by 1983.

The answer, I believe, must take us again back to her ambition. Once the die was cast, I’m sure Karen understood that her chance to perform on Playboy’s legendary stage was the chance of a lifetime. Six million men would buy her Holiday issue, and millions more would read it. She’d be the real Miss America, and she’d have a leg up on her career in show business. But to do that, she’d have to throw herself into her layout headlong and play her new role to the best of her ability. She had to approach it as she would any other performance in a gym meet or on Muscle Beach. And once she was in that frame of mind, it’s no surprise that she was willing to do whatever it took, and whatever was asked, to win fame, fortune, and a special place in Playboy’s exclusive sorority.

Yet Karen was more than willing and ambitious. It took courage to produce photos of such intense, lasting, erotic beauty. It took courage for Karen to risk so much, and to invite men to lust for her and fantasize about her. As we know from Karen’s career as a stuntwoman, acrobat, and independent business owner, she has more courage than the lot of us. When it came time to show it, she did.

But Karen’s success was also rooted in her values. That may come as a surprise to people who aren’t fans of PB, but not to us. To bare her body and soul as she did was no small thing. For a person as idealistic as Karen, and as concerned about what people would think of her, it took not only a desire for a satisfying career and a check for $10,000, but faith—faith, as I’ve suggested, in the higher purpose of Playboy and in what her appearance as a Playmate could mean for her and for all women. You can see that faith in everything she said and did. She believed in sexual liberation. She wanted to celebrate human sexuality. And she wanted to redefine what it meant to be a Playmate. She wanted to prove, in her own creative way, that a woman could be wholesome, moral, strong, athletic, intelligent, hard-working, thoughtful, powerful, principled, healthy, disciplined, formidable, and sexy. And to do that, she knew she had to be herself. She couldn’t hide behind a fake persona. She had to be candid in her interviews and in Dear Playmates about who she is. And the only way she could perform spectacularly was to be true to herself. She had to throw herself passionately into every scene, and let her emotions guide her, just as she poured her passion into every routine on the gym floor.

It’s impossible to know when everything finally came together for Karen—her ambition, her courage, her idealism, her honesty. But by the time they did, Karen was happy to play her part for us, for herself, and for the fun of it. She immersed herself in her role, never more so than in Playboy’s storied bedroom. As she posed on and around that brass bed, she threw calculation aside, and won our hearts.



Yes, I wish I had been there! Has there ever been a more glorious sight on God’s green earth? Sheer artistry by Karen and Ken Marcus. Magical.

Alas, Playboy—or at least its U.S. edition—didn’t know what to make of Karen. The staff struggled over how to present her to Playboy’s readers. The U.S. edition played up Karen’s athleticism, and introduced her as a “Gym Dandy.” But it shied away from portraying Karen as herself—a wholesome young woman who was anything but a party girl. The Australian edition, by contrast, was faithful to Karen as a kind, affectionate person with good habits. Its opening line was corny, and more than a bit sexist: “Sugar and Price – Karen Price really is everything nice!” But it captured her warmth and approachability, and it didn’t silence Karen. It included whole sentences that the U.S. edition cut from the text for her layout, perhaps because it thought Aussie men might have a thing for an upstanding, thoroughly all-American girl. Australia PB opened Karen’s layout with these lines:

“I don’t drink, smoke, or take drugs. I never have and I never will.” It’s not that Karen aspires to sainthood. The fact is that she’s allergic to cigarettes, cannot tolerate the taste of alcohol and won’t even take an aspirin to relieve a headache. “Maybe I’m a health nut, but I just don’t believe in putting certain substances into my system.”

Karen didn’t even drink tea or coffee, as we can see at a glance. Look how perfect and white her teeth are!



The Australian edition also allowed Karen to be frank about her sexuality. When it asked her if she had any vices, given how conscientious, hardworking, and virtuous she is, she said:

“Sugar. I have a definite sweet tooth. And I do swear sometimes, though not very much. But I guess my only real vice—if you want to call it that—is sex.”

The U.S. edition balked. It substituted “making love” for “sex.” So Playboy U.S.A. watered down Karen twice. It wanted a coy party girl, not a frank young woman who had no use for the Playboy lifestyle.

So Playboy’s most reluctant, improbable Playmate was one of a kind. That’s why, I think, Hefner and Playboy U.S.A. had trouble seeing her for the treasure she is. Karen could have helped Playboy survive in a feminist era, by offering men and women a powerful, positive role model for what a woman could be.

I wonder, however, if other young women, like my beautiful, likewise honorable, skinny-dipping friends, would have been willing to follow Karen’s lead, especially given the hardships Karen endured as a Playmate, the courage she had to show, and the slow but steady decline of Playboy, which was fading from the center of our culture. Maybe it was too late to save Playboy as it was. And maybe it’s a pipe dream to hope that Americans will someday embrace their sexuality in a proud and healthy way.

Karen may never know what a star she is. PB denied her, for the sake of Hef’s surgically-enhanced girlfriend, the fruits of her victory—a video, a second layout, dozens of promotions, wads of cash, and a year-long reign as Playmate of the Year. As I’ve said elsewhere on this thread, every shred of evidence leads to the conclusion that she was the choice of the staff and of fans for POY. Karen might have turned it down (there’s even a rumor that she did), but I think she would have enjoyed that year, because she would have been treated with awe, even reverence, by everyone she met, even by men who might have treated her shabbily if she had “only” been a Playmate of the Month. She might even have felt that the suffering of her first year-and-half was worth it, because she would have been free to speak her mind in a wider range of forums and famous in the best possible way for her career. We’ll never know. But as she turns fifty-nine this year (and a lovely fifty-nine at that), Karen’s star burns brightest. And think of where she’d be on VEF, on other fan sites, and perhaps even in our culture, if she’d been given her due, and crowned the real Miss America.

P.S. – I’ve updated and illustrated my post on “The Passing of an Era,” in which I shared my thoughts on the decline of Playboy in our culture. I hope Karen’s fans might be interested, since I was thinking of her when I wrote it. It’s at:

http://vintage-erotica-forum.com/sho...&postcount=106

[PriceIsRight]

Thank you for another thoughtful post CQ. You’ve nicely outlined views that I share about Karen and her unfortunate, but understandable desire to turn away from PB.

Though it appears that Karen was not fully ready to be a Playmate at the start, I think there was a real appeal for her and there were probably aspects of the role she initially enjoyed.

The first thing that comes to mind is her outgoing personality and the other family members besides her father that encouraged her to join PB. Her grandmother, who she indicates shares her active personality, is in the shoot on Muscle Beach which may indicate there was some enthusiasm at her selection as a Playmate. Karen is outgoing and adventuresome and it sounds like some of her family is too. I expect that the appeal of being the star for a month in what was the most glamorous magazine of the time sounded like a fun adventure to them. She had the opportunity of going to appear in the same publication that had “10” actress Bo Derek appear in it a year before! Karen is an outgoing person who would become a stunt double and acrobat so it seems that the desire to try new things may have appealed to her. And as was mentioned, she rightfully saw it as a chance for better opportunities for her career.

Also, her other photography jobs may indicate that she enjoyed modeling. I think most of us would enjoy being celebrated or our beauty if we were lucky enough to be blessed with it. And Karen has it in spades! She appears to be at ease and enjoying the photos she appears in with exotic cars in swimsuits. These are simple poses where she can enjoy showing off her beauty. These may be an indication that she enjoyed the glamour and fun of being a model. In the January layout where we see the photos of Karen in the gymnasium, on the beach, and in the portrait photos with the squirrel her smile shines of the page. Even when she is nude in the water, showing off her balance on the beach or just sitting on the chair she appears to be having fun and comfortable with showing her beautiful figure.

I agree that the photos from the test shoot show a much less lively side of her. I expect these were her first forays in nude photography. I would expect that for most models it initially feels unnatural to be nude in a room with a small cast and the photography set looming over you. Also, the stiff poses she may have had to do at first that probably did not make her feel as free and expressive as later shoots. Finally, I assume that the test photos are just a shoot to see if you can appear in the magazine at all. So for Karen, she may not yet know if this will lead to the better opportunity or is a waste of time.

I think we see much more of her playful nature in the later photos we have become huge fans of. By this time, she would have spent more time with Ken Marcus and hopefully learned to trust this him and his cast in the shoots. She also knows she is definitely going to be Playmate of the Month now! Maybe at this point the reality sets in and Karen becomes more excited about the chance to be the star of the glamorous magazine and the reservations begin to wane.

One thing that PB did move help move forward in our culture is sexual liberation. It allowed such beautiful woman as Marilyn Monroe to exhibit their sensual nature openly. Not just the fun tease of the movies, but the chance to show women in their full natural beauty. Also, the exotic settings where a woman could freely express being seductive, playful, even erotic. A chance to openly enjoy the play of seduction and sex that is such a fun part of being human.

From her photos I sense and hope that Karen felt this and enjoyed the playfulness of being a Playmate. Karen is liberated and expressive and I think from many of the photos we have that Karen had bought in and had fun exhibiting her playful and sensual nature. We have highlighted some of the amazing photos where Karen seems to embrace the seductive and erotic parts of the role, but what comes to mind for me here is the other photos where her smile beams during the shoot. These photos make me feel that the shoots were fun for her and these are the types of photos I wish PB would share more of with us.



I think there may have been another aspect of the magazine of that era that we love that Karen came to enjoy. Karen’s willingness to participate in the Dear Playmates articles showed her openness to talk about sex. Her writings on the subject show her enlightened attitude towards the subject as a natural, fun part of our lives. We are fortunate that this platform was there when she was with the magazine since I think it worked well for expressing the views of the models at the time. Again, this is where PB shined showing the personality of the woman beyond her beauty. We are lucky that Karen was willing to share her views so often in these articles.

The real deal breaker seems to be the public appearances for the magazine. Perhaps if she had just had the pleasure of having fans just telling her she was beautiful and asking for an autograph the experience would have been fun and held some of the glamour of being a Playmate. Unfortunately, it sounds like she dealt with the crude behavior of some men who would request kisses from her or worse. I can’t imagine how awkward a request for intimacy from a person you met thirty seconds ago would be and I am surprised how many models can endure it. I expect they see it as part of the territory, but I suspect it drained the fun parts of being a Playmate from Karen. Though I think she really enjoyed many parts of the shoots, it is the men who don’t know how to behave themselves that ruined the experience.

Also, is CQ mentioned, the politics of PMOY did not help. The fact that Ken Marcus won an award for that layout shows how great Ken’s work and Karen’s performance were. Just imagine a layout like Candy Loving had the previous year for PMOY, but with Karen as the star! Unfortunately we will never get to see that treasure.

In the end it is an interesting topic. As fans, we wish we could have seen more of her, but can also see that there were aspects of the job that would simply not work for her as a person. I do hope she thoroughly enjoyed the parts of being a Playmate I think she may have. I can only lament that Hugh didn’t simply stick to the keeping Karen in the glamorous parts of the job instead of ruining her relationship to the magazine. A real shame since, to me, Karen was the ideal Playmate, the ideal girl next door, and everything positive about the magazine at that time.

[cqnew1648]

I’d like to thank Roger, Patty Hearst, Prof Voluptuary, Ruderberry, and Price Is Right for sharing their thoughts and passion for Karen. Like Patty Hearst, I’m afraid Karen “ruined” PB for me. The moment I saw her I knew she would be my favorite PM forever. I had other favorite PMs at the time, and I’ve been smitten by some since. But over the years my thoughts have run more or more exclusively to Karen, until today I’m pretty much a one-woman man in my fantasy life. When I have time to think about extraordinary, beautiful women I’ll never have a chance to know, I think of Karen.

Patty Hearst is so right: no PM has ever topped Karen for “pure sexiness.” So is Prof Voluptuary: curvy brunettes are the best (including his favorite, and my next favorite, Patti Farinelli). And like Ruderberry, I wish we had seen Karen in wider variety of poses (more on that in a future post). And thanks to Price Is Right’s great post, I’ve had a chance to relive the moments when I first saw Karen, page by page, in her layout. I’ve been so overwhelmed by her later pictures that I’ve sadly neglected our first glimpse of Karen in the bedroom.



What a remarkable shot. She was so bold, confident, as Price Is Right reminds us, as her gown fell from her shoulders—legs spread, breasts haltered sensuously with the strap to her gown, looking straight into our eyes. Yet she wasn’t intimidating, which, quite frankly, a woman that bold and beautiful could be. Nor did Karen wish to be. She realized, of course, that she’s beautiful and that she was worthy of being a Playmate. We can see that at a glance. Whatever validation she may have needed at that stage in her life, knowing as we do that even beautiful women sometimes have their doubts, Playboy sure provided it. But I’ve always come away from Karen’s photos, as I do from this one, feeling that she isn’t the least bit arrogant. She wanted to be accessible, emotionally, and intimate with us, as long as we treated her with respect. And in this photo, we can see it. It’s something in the way she looked at us, expectantly. Yes, she wanted us to take a good, long look. She knew we would. But at the same time, we can see that she hoped we’d enjoy her, in all humility, which is why she tilted her head and tried so hard to connect with us with her gaze. It’s the juxtaposition of her feelings—“I know I’m spectacular,” and “I really, really hope you’ll like me”—that makes Karen’s photos so powerful.

We can sense those feelings even more powerfully in the next photo from her layout, one of her greatest ever, as I’ve said in another post.



She knew we’d lust for her, yet she hoped we’d lust for her too. That’s why she was such a wonderful, passionate, attentive, and responsive partner in fantasy sex. She always reached out to us. She didn’t take us for granted, nor the honor of being the future Miss January. She worked hard in every shot to prove herself worthy of being a Playmate, and of our esteem.

And I hadn’t noticed, until Price Is Right mentioned it, that Karen squeezed her left breast in everyone’s favorite photo from her layout (indeed, for many of us, our favorite photo in the history of Playboy). Can you remember any other PM doing that? I’m always squeamish about talking frankly about such matters, for fear of hurting Karen’s feelings, or sounding disrespectful, but OMG, Karen, what were you thinking? That’s so hot!



The squeeze must have been spontaneous. Karen wasn’t just playing to the crowd and letting us know her breasts were more than a handful. She was aroused. And she was so into being a Playmate by the time she was in that bedroom, so into her new job as a seductress and temptress, that she wanted us to fantasize about taking a squeeze. It’s clear as day in the compassionate look on her face. “I know what you’d like to dream of doing, so why not dream? I’d be so happy if you did. That’s why I volunteered!” She beseeched us to lust for her. She entreated us to dream of being with her, hoping we’d be overwhelmed, as she tried with all her might to be the best Playmate she could be (which just happened to be the best ever).

So thanks, Price Is Right, for the refreshing trip down Memory Lane. It took me back to the moment I first saw Karen, and helped me relive that experience in a whole new way. And thanks too for your response to my thoughts about “The Reluctant Playmate.” Yes, Karen might simply have been nervous during her test shoot, or uncomfortable, or uncertain whether she’d become a Playmate. And I couldn’t agree more that she was happy once she was on the set, at one with the part she had chosen to play, and thrilled to be a Playmate. More than anything, she wanted to be our Playmate. She wanted to play with us, her future fans. And she did.

Yet I think we’d agree that Karen is captivating not simply because she is beautiful, sexy, and curvy, or because she is such a wonderful artist, who performed so splendidly and enthusiastically for PB, but because she’s a warm, wonderful, interesting, accomplished person, admirable in every way. I’d never trespass on Karen’s privacy. I did, however, take a look at her posts on social media recently, and my affection for her only intensified. She’s a decent, thoughtful, considerate person, whose values, politics, and concerns I admire. There’s a saying that it’s best not to know your heroes too well, but that’s certainly not the case with Karen. Every time she has given us a glimpse of her thoughts and feelings, I’ve admired her all the more. You can see in an instant from her posts that she’s still wounded from the treatment she received for being a PM (though she never mentions that time in her life). She’s also been hurt by people who look down on her, despite her amazing success in life, for not graduating from college. Treating people with “respect” is far and away her number one issue—and she speaks from hard experience, as well as from the generosity of her character. That’s why, as I told a friend on VEF recently, I can’t write about other PMs the way I’ve written about Karen, even though a few friends on VEF have been kind enough to ask me to do so. Karen has always been and always will be out there, candid, risk-taking, vulnerable, sharing her feelings, which is why I can connect with her in a way I simply can’t with any other Playmate.

P.S. – Is it okay to thank God for Karen? I can’t think of better proof that God exists. Karen’s living proof that God meant us to love our sexuality, not hate it or be ashamed of it.

[Heartbreaksoup]

Originally Posted by utube

Courtesy of worthpoint. Maybe just the world of wheels is new, but any pic of Karen is worth viewing again and again.

There's a photo I never thought I'd see again. I had that promo photo from that very same World of Wheels in Atlanta. I imagine that was 1982, so I was ten years old and Karen signed it: "To a real Playboy!" This caused some confusion with one of my friends, who somehow thought that "Playboys" were the girls who posed in Playboy Magazine, and wondered why she would call me one.

I'm afraid the photo is long, long gone, but I believe that I kept it in a folder for a few more years before, in my lunkheaded teenage way, I decided that I didn't need it anymore.

[PriceIsRight]

All of Karen’s post-test shot photos are amazing. Today I wanted to review another fantastic set of Karen’s images. One of the great things about this set is the obvious fun and enthusiasm Karen brings to the setting. The shoot culminates in a special performance that produced two of the most powerful images we would ever see of her.

It’s another great collaboration between Karen Price, Ken Marcus, and his staff. No elegant clothes here to hide and tease the eye this time, Karen’s amazing figure is bared and all we need to see. Just Karen, the hot tub, and a shower head.

Karen never disappoints, but when she is completely bare we see a freedom of expression that creates some special photos. Here the constraints of the clothing are gone, also gone is the lengthy take between shots where she is forced to sit still as Ken sets up the perfect composition. Karen is blessed with a beauty that begs attention and she loves being a beautiful, well-endowed woman. She takes joy in her appearance and when given the chance to improvise and move freely between shots she makes it obvious how much she wants to share that joy. In the right setting, once comfortable enough, she also shares her enthusiasm for the beautiful dance of seduction and even making love.



Ken starts off having Karen direct the spray at her chest to bring the viewer’s eyes to her astounding breasts, but we don’t need guidance to gaze upon them. Karen is initially focused on the shower head, ignoring the viewer as she enjoys the sensation of water splashing against her breasts. It’s a great introduction to her incredible figure. Karen is a mix of athlete and sexual goddess wrapped up in the perfect package. Again, she is a sight to behold. Her hair wet atop her head is swept back to reveal the features of her sweet face.

At first, she starts out enjoying the view of the water spraying on her chest, seeming almost tentative at first. Her mouth opens slightly and she shrugs her shoulder at its initial touch on her skin. The profile view really brings out Karen’s sensual slim waist and flat stomach. There is so much to appreciate about this woman’s exceptional curves!



Gradually she arches her back and pushes her breasts out as she welcomes the spray.



She becomes even more playful as throws her head back with a smile enjoying the sensation on her body. Still not engaging the viewer, she is sure not to lose our attention as she takes an even more provocative pose. Her playfulness draws us in even further. Karen is perfect in any pose, but when she arches her body and throws her head back it is a sight to behold. One of the best examples of this is to come later.



Finally, she lifts the shower head to allow the water to rain down on her. She enjoys the play of arousal as the water spills out from her chest down between her cleavage. She knows how special her breasts are and how exciting it is for us to see them. They are transfixing with the water pouring off them. She enjoys continuing to work the pose and letting us savor their shape.



The next image brings our attention to her shapely backside as if we need a reminder not to ignore it. As viewers we can only apologize that if we have it is only because there is so much of her beauty to take in!



The last of the standing poses has the water turned off and finally Karen turns to acknowledge the camera, her eyes looking directly at us. Her head is tossed back and chest out as her expression rhetorically asks, “Enjoying the show?” We have, little knowing the show is going to get even better.



In the next image Karen kneels into the tub, her seductive gaze upon us. The image is cropped in to enhance the intimacy. Her slim figure submerges below the water hiding her lower body. Her extraordinary breasts hang soft but firm in only the way hers can. Karen again invites us to focus on them as she nudges them forward. It’s a pose that says, “Go ahead, take a long look, aren’t they wonderful!?” As always they are captivating, her large areolae hypnotize us as they are framed by her pale skin and perfect curves. As much as they demand our gaze, the best part of the photo is her gorgeous face and sweet expression. Our eyes go to her cute nose and her enthralling eyes. No matter what pose Karen is in her eyes always draw you in. They are seductive and welcoming. Then there is that slight shrug of the shoulder, tilt of the head, and flirtatious smile that playfully asks if we want all she has to offer. That sidelong glance is in many of her photos and it kills me each time. It’s the shy look hoping we like what we see while she knows in her heart she is extraordinary. It’s a wonderful image that makes us pause and take time to bathe in her charms. It has become one of my favorites.

The next two photos are simply a treasure! When I first saw these photos I thought, “If PB has photos like this why won’t they show more of them? Readers would throw money at them for every glimpse of this embodiment of feminine perfection.” That question will never be answered, but thank God we have these.

Like her centerfold layout, we initially get to bask in her beauty, her sensual nature, her playfulness. Next, there is that direct, encouraging look inviting us to pause and contemplate her beauty and dream of being with her. Finally, there is that pose that is simply erotic that perfectly rounds out the fantasy! And Karen is the woman we could only dream of in these photos since she is perfect at each stage. In my opinion, these two are examples of Karen at her erotic best!



It’s an amazing pose! I expect that Ken simply asks her to lay back, and is blown away when Karen’s physique takes its unique shape. Her form is breathtaking, but it’s Karen’s vivacity that really brings the still pose to life! Karen reclines back on her elbows, her hips barely out of the water with her lush pubic hair showing. The viewer’s eye travels to up her slim waist that she sucks in to enhance her astounding figure. We then follow the light up to her perfectly shaped breasts sliding across her rib cage as her beautiful areolae glisten in the spotlight. Her head is tossed back and her angelic face posed as if in caught up in passion. It’s a tough pose to hold, but Karen is eager for it. The shoot has been a seductive play so far, but now Karen is ready to get our heart pounding. This image definitely does the job.

I can imagine Ken Marcus taking photos in quick succession at this point. He knows the pose is wonderful and erotic and he is lucky enough to have a woman this exquisite pulling it off! We can thank Ken for his sensational skills, but we are also envious of the man. Imagine being in his shoes! In the same room with this unique playmate! And then when she turns the erotic heat up….one can only imagine.



It’s not only that the pose is arousing and Karen’s figure is one of a kind, but that she is caught up in the pose and ready to completely captivate the viewer! Her pose is the same in the second picture that was taken quickly after the first, but Karen’s perfect body and expression can take on remarkable changes for us with her most subtle movements. It’s as if Karen feels she can push the pose and our excitement further. She has been confirmed as a Playmate, one of the most beautiful women in the world. Millions of readers will quickly go to the center of the magazine to get a glimpse of her. She hopes for their adulation when they get to see all she has to offer! She is Miss January and now she is the woman they will admire, desire, and dream of! Perhaps the intoxicating thought of this attention pushes her to another level and creates an image that insures we will never forget about her.

She squeezes her butt tight and thrusts her hips forward out of the water. Her back arches as far as she can go as the water pours from her chest down her taut stomach. Even laying back her bountiful breasts burst forward, begging for our appreciation. Her athletic figure strains as she pushes outward craving our gaze. Her sexual energy simply radiates off her incredible body and sings to us. The viewer’s eye darts around appreciating every curve of her glistening form that is almost beyond imagination. Even the shape of her shoulder through her neck gives chills as it culminates in her mouth opening in a gasp of pleasure. A pose made even better by her incomparable face.

She has left the playfulness behind and is thrilled to tempt us; to make us pine to be with her; to simply drive us crazy! She is taking the pose as far as she can take it and it is truly an image of ecstasy! When looking at any of Karen’s pics one dreams of what it would be like to bring her to the heights of passion. Karen does us a favor by putting it all out there for us, leaving little effort for our imagination. She had our heart pounding with the last pose and now she is pushing our desire to its limits! This goddess has blessed us with the pleasure of soaking in her divine body and now her parting gift is giving us the fantasy of bringing her to rapture.

It’s this quality that makes Karen’s erotic pics so special. Her body is a paradise and would be enough for the image. But her willingness and delight in completely embracing our attention and sharing her sexual passion is what made her the ultimate Playmate. She desires our desire and we feel her energy as she revels in the chance to leave us spellbound! Little could she know that images like this would still fuel our dreams years later.

What a photo! What a woman! Thank God we have been lucky enough to be alive to see images like this showing her in all her glory!



This final pic is another favorite. It’s a shame that we have never seen a higher resolution version of it, but were lucky enough to have it as a Dear Playmates photo. I imagine the shoot is concluding and Ken is applauding her efforts on a sensational session. We see Karen’s cute smile shine as she finishes what had to be a fun and erotic shoot for her. It’s a joyous smile we don’t see enough of in her photos, but it is always pleasing to get another chance to see it. Even with the rest of figure hidden, her one of a kind face is dazzling to look upon. I imagine this has been an exhilarating shoot for her where she truly got to play and express herself. It’s been another opportunity for the girl next door to exhibit and share her beauty with us. She has had the thrill of pleasing us, mesmerizing us, and enthralling us and leaving us wanting to see more. She has done all that in spades and it is all we could have hoped for!

It’s frustrating to know that there are more amazing pictures of Karen sitting in the PB vault that we will probably never see, but I am thankful that the perfect set of circumstances allows us to see any of these incredible photos in the first place. We are lucky that PB was what it was at that time, Ken Marcus was the photographer, and that a woman as amazing as Karen was not only willing to bare herself to the camera, but would dare put on such a great performance that we are still drawn to these pictures decades later. I only hope that at the time she found these experiences as fun and thrilling as they have been for us to witness. As always, Karen deserves our applause and appreciation.

[cqnew1648]

I enjoyed Ruderberry’s post about “Scenes We’d Like to See” with Karen. Of course, it might be possible to see those scenes, if PB were to allow us to fund the liberation of Karen’s unseen photos. Knowledgeable fans believe that PB took 2,000 or more photos of each Playmate in Karen’s era. And heck, the President is a PB fan (and a former Mansion hound), so why not throw some economic relief money at PB for the project, to help PB weather the Coronavirus recession? That’s tax dollars well spent. Infrastructure investment at its finest.

It’s great to fantasize, as Ruderberry has, about what we’d like to see. I feel guilty, knowing that Karen might be distressed to learn that we’d love to see more photos of her, now that she wishes she hadn’t posed for any. But I can’t help my passion for Karen. I hope she’d understand—she’s just too fabulous for words. I’d love to see more photos of her fully clothed, especially in the gym and on Muscle Beach. I hope she’d be okay with that. Some of the photos I’d love to see, however, might be hotter than Karen would like to remember making, even though she made photos every bit as hot, if not hotter, when she was a PM. And she has every reason to be proud of every one.

The photos I have in mind would be beautiful, of course; and I’m almost certain Karen would have been happy to create them for us back in the day, if she had been asked. They’d be thrilling, sexy, and intense, but they’d also be elegant, tasteful, and artistic, as Karen’s photos always were. Like Ruderberry, I’d just like to see Karen pose in new ways and occasionally in different clothes, with the same joy and sensuality she brought to the photos we know so well. And of course, I wish Karen had filmed a genuine PB video in the gym and in the bedroom and elsewhere. She would have been fantastic.

Yes, first and foremost, as Ruderberry put it, Karen “crawling toward the camera.” Wouldn’t that be great? She got close in a couple of photos we’ve seen in miniature. I’d love to see high-definition, uncropped versions of these Dear Playmates photos. They were taken more from Karen’s side than from the front, and Karen only has her hands on her knees in the second. But she gave our imaginations plenty to work with.



Surprisingly, PB has been squeamish about such poses. Teri, Candy, and Patti came close, but for some reason PB insisted they halter themselves, rather than let their breasts fall as nature intended. Thankfully, Teri was on the verge of costume failure, but I think that’s the farthest PB allowed a PM to go in the Golden Years. Why is a mystery. Karen and her fellow PMs would have doffed their bras in a heartbeat, if asked. I wish Patti’s expression had been more relaxed, and Candy’s more effervescent. But Teri had it right—absolutely right.



Charlotte, Candy, and Janet were unrestrained in these shots. I’d love to see Karen pose like this. But again, like Ruderberry, I’d love additional shots of Karen from the front, straight on, braless, so her breasts could nearly touch the floor or the bed. That would be heavenly.



I can think of all sorts of expressions I’d love for Karen to share in that pose, from seductive (like Charlotte’s) to smiling (like Teri’s). I hope Karen and Ken Marcus snapped a few from that jaw-dropping angle.

And while we’re at it, why not an additional pose for Karen from the front, like Teri’s or Patti’s? It would be tragic if Karen had been asked to face the camera on all fours, and PB forgot to celebrate her curves. Whether resting, like Teri, or crawling, like Patti, Karen would have done wonderfully.



Basque of various sizes and shapes would have been nice as well, as Ruderberry suggests. They’re a tame garment by PB’s standards, but how they would have flattered Karen. I like Charlotte’s, Sharry’s, and Carina’s.



Patti and Carina also wore lingerie that was a bit different, but nice for the way it hugged their tummies and accentuated their curves. Karen and Ken could have worked wonders with these.



Perhaps even better, as Ruderberry says, it would be great to see Karen wearing undergarments, top and bottom, so she could dazzle us in a wholly new way, and tease us to death before she took them off. The only time we’ve seen her in panties was in the gym. She teased us into a frenzy and beckoned us to fantasize about her bottomless. But darn it, she didn’t get them off. Karen, it’s Playboy! Why stop? We love you. We’ve got your back. No need to be shy. You were ready, plain as day. It was time. Please don’t leave us hanging!



Unfortunately, she did leave us hanging. And Karen, surprisingly, never wore a bra. That’s a terrible loss. I wish we had seen her overwhelm a brassier, pull its straps off her shoulders, unhook it from the front or the back, and let it fall ever so slowly. We could have seen Karen flirt with us, as Patti did, in her bra and panties, or strip out of them erotically, as Miriam did. And Karen could have played with her body, as Patti and Miriam did, as she pushed down on her bra and panties, or cast them away.



I’ll never forget Karen Hafter, who performed a genuine striptease on a train, and got lost. I confess I’m not fond of her keeping her shoes—she should have lost them first. Made things awkward. But otherwise, perfect.



I’m not sure Karen would have gone as far as Patti, Miriam, and Karen did in these photos. But when I think of what Karen did for us, what a splendid artist she was, and how she aroused herself, I have my hopes up. For goodness sakes, in the first photo below, Karen played with her nipples. How many PMs have done that? So I can imagine her raising the stakes, and posing as Patti, Miriam, and Karen Hafter did, as provocatively as she could within the bounds of PB’s art.



When it comes to clothing, I’d also love to see Karen wear a swimsuit like Candy’s, or like Patti’s or Cynthia’s, with those wonderful, erotic ties, begging for a tug. I would love to have seen Karen pull them, one by one, until . . . well, you know . . . it’s Playboy.



What if we could have seen Karen in an additional gym shoot, bare midriff, wearing a halter top and matching bottom, so we could enjoy more of her figure as she went through a gymnastic routine? Something like this, ample and sturdy enough for her to perform athletic moves, but with those wonderful quick-release ties. I confess that I’ve thought about that outfit for a while—and about what a video it would have made, if Karen had pulled one tie, then another, as her routine progressed, until she was completely nude. I wouldn’t care which she pulled first—the one behind her neck, the ones at her hips, or the ones I’d add in pairs to each side of her top, so her breasts could slump sensuously, a bit more with each pull, until she freed them. I know Karen would have choreographed her routine beautifully, and that she would have pulled each tie precisely when the time was right, to heighten the drama and power of her routine. And I wouldn’t want her to hurry. Absolutely not. Just as long as she kept pulling one tie after another as she performed gorgeous splits and tumbled about, and kept dazzling us with her acrobatic feats once she was nude.



Sadly, as we’ve discussed before on Karen’s thread, PB let us down, terribly, because Karen would have been happy to perform that nude routine for us. She left no doubt about that in her bedroom shoot. Her floor exercise would have been the greatest ever: a Perfect Ten by a Perfect Ten.



I’d add another pose, or set of poses, however, to Ruderberry’s list. I’d love to ramp up the heat as we view Karen from behind. We know that Karen’s breasts spill out beyond her sides.



We’ve seen them from the front, but wouldn’t it be great to see more shots of Karen as she turned her body away and looked back at the camera, as she did in the fake garden? I’d love to see Karen pose as Cynthia, Kimberly, and especially Andrea and Marilyn did, so we could admire her breasts, her beautiful face, and her gorgeous bottom at the same time, in myriad ways.



And why not let Karen’s breasts simply spill out from behind, as Petra’s did? That would be insufferably hot.



And while Karen was at it, why not ask her to strike a pose, as Petra and Patti did?



Yes, Karen set a new standard for PB’s erotic art. She was a pioneer. So I don’t think there is anything that Ruderberry or I have in mind that Karen would have been reluctant to do for her layout. She was in love with the part she had been invited to play. I think she would have enjoyed these poses. If only PB had let one or two of us fans onto the set, or let us watch on a remote video feed, so we could have “called a play” every once in a while, if we thought Karen and Ken Marcus were passing up a great opportunity. After all, Karen wanted to overwhelm us with her beauty and passion, and PB wanted us to buy Playboys. So why not a suggestion box? We’d love to help. After all, we’re on the same team. No fans, no Playmates, no Playboy.

My fantasy life would be more complete if Karen had posed in these ways and had filmed a dozen hot scenes for a two-hour PB video—something befitting the most beloved PM of all. But thanks to what Karen and PB have offered us so far, my fantasy life is pretty darned good as it is.
 

[ruderberry]

I'm grateful to cqnew1648 for exploring my ideas about how Miss Price's pictorial might have been even better, and for illustrating them so nicely.

Let me add a few further thoughts.

While crawling is not the most dignified posture for a Playmate to adopt, its appeal as a spectacle is undeniable. After all, visitors to gentlemen's clubs know how enthusiastically guys react when a stripper gets down on all fours to crawl around the performance area.

So here's my shout-out for Gig Gangel (twice), Angela Melini,
Janet Quist, Corinna Harney and Rachel Jean Marteen.

In view of Miss Price's superlative upper body, we can imagine how nicely a bra would have adorned her remarkable rack, and how she might have used it to tease and tantalize us. Cheryl Bachman and Gig Gangel hint at the possibilities.

A basque is an obvious choice for a busty lady, since its drum-tightness enhances the physical features directly above and below it. Thanks to Charlotte Kemp (twice), Fawna MacLaren and Pamela Saunders for proving this point.

Panties? Since the female form is so beautiful, the lingerie that frames and flatters it is inevitably eye-catching: panties most of all, perhaps, because they're so flimsy, delicate and inviting. I happen to have chosen Tanya Beyer, Tiffany Sloan, Patti McGuire, Rebekka Armstrong and Patricia Farinelli to convey different moods of pantied Playmates; I could have selected many alternatives.

So, in light of the above, my verdict on Miss Price's pictorial remains one of "Regrets? I've had a few".