Happy Birthday, Sarah O'Hare

42 today.

In searching her pics, I came across this one from 1999:

Horses are represented quite a bit in the realm of swimsuit issue wildlife. But donkeys are rarer. The only other one I could find is this Bridget Hall photo from 2002:

"Nice ass," is what I'd say at this point if I were terrible.

• • •

7/22/17: Hey, I found another one! Damaris Lewis, 2009.

• • •

10/4/19: Lookee here! Chrissy Teigen, 2016.

One-Piece Wednesday: Stacey Williams, 1993

I Spend Too Much Time Looking at Swimsuit Models

And here’s how I can tell.

I went down an internet rabbit hole and found this photoshoot with Bar Refaeli (and fellow hottie Candice Swanepoel):

…and I noticed that it takes place on the same Hollywood Hills balcony that Christie Brinkley lounges on in the SI Swim Air New Zealand safety video.

That’s a lucky deck.

One-Piece Wednesday: Kelly Emberg, 1984

Topless Tuesday: Daniella Sarahyba, 2008

By the Way, Where Is This Shot From?

I know I've seen it before. In fact, it may be my favorite shot of Stacey Williams.

It's from the 1995 shoot, in Costa Rica. But I can't find it in that issue of the physical magazine or in the 1996 desk calendar. The Tumblr Pictures of Stacey Williams doesn't even have it, and they're quite thorough.

All I can find online is this tiny, grainy photo, but I know it's not the only version I've seen.

Any insight, anyone?

One-Piece Wednesday: Valeria Mazza, 1996

You'll recognize the suit.

But this time, less sunlight.

Gray Area

By the way, did SI make an error in their 50th anniversary issue?

In their decade-by-decade retrospective of swimsuit fashion, they put up this photo:

...and declare that the model is Jamee Becker.

I was under the impression that it was Erin Gray.

The original swimsuit issue from 1969...

...and SI's own site label her as Erin Gray, so my guess is that they mislabeled her in the 2014 magazine.

This, by the way, is Jamee Becker.

Has the Swimsuit Issue Gotten Too Explicit? (4)

When I did a recent post about the acknowledgement (or lack thereof) of the models’ nether-regions, I realized I forgot to include this Kate Upton shot.

Just like the Julie Henderson “One time, at band camp…” pic, this was put up on the official SI Swimsuit Issue Facebook page, with the predictable crude responses by internet dimwits.

On the other hand, there’s a subgenre of shots that feature that area of the model’s body in a way that gives it a bit of a divine look.

Light from the sun flares through the “gap,” creating a bit of a halo.

Definitely not an accident.

Sinful yet holy, hidden yet accentuated, scorned yet praised. I’m sure there’s some deep feminist social criticism to be constructed here, but my job is mainly to observe and enjoy.

Beautiful Bust

Did you know about this?

Apparently Stephanie Seymour's on-again-off-again lover/husband/whatever Peter Brant commissioned a figurehead-style bust of her.

There are apparently multiple copies of it. I'm not sure if these are three different statues, or if you can style her hair like a Barbie.

In any case, seems like a good excuse to look at a few photos of Stephanie.

By the way, I feel a little iffy about posting these last two, since they're probably candid paparazzi photos. But they are, I believe, pretty recent.

Damn, she looks fantastic.

One-Piece Wednesday: Jessica Perez, 2012

I thought for sure I'd already posted these lovely photos of Jessica.

 2012 was a great year for her.

• • •

UPDATE: Found this Polaroid online somewhere, thought it would make a nice addition.

Topless Tuesday: Tori Praver, 2008

A Bit of a Shayk-Up

Wow. Some surprisingly big and surprisingly good paparazzi photos of Irina’s shoot in Hawaii have sprung up on Bellazon.

(There are a few full-on topless shots to be seen there too, word to the wise.)

Looks like Irina will be making her ninth consecutive appearance. If I were a betting man, I’d bet on her pulling off the decade mark in 2016.

Also featured, a few shots of a plump-lipped model named Hailey Clauson.

I think the “surprises” are going to be fewer and farther between as the years go on. You have the sanctioned hints that MJ Day and company send out, you have the consistently increasing quality of cameras and the speed of internet communications, and you have the up-to-the-second Twitter dispatches from the (occasionally loose-lipped) models themselves. For crying out loud, someone scooped the Antarctica shoot a couple years ago, and what more remote, unlikely place is there for a bikini shoot?

Anyway, it will be interesting to see the 2015 issue take shape. I’m not sure I’ll still be maintaining this blog by then—I’m starting to feel a little worn out by it. Not a definite decision yet, but I’m coming up on the four-year anniversary, which might be a good time to put it to rest.

But these are the days that keep it interesting.

Kenza, But Not Really

I poked around online looking to see what Kenza Fourati was up to these days. I found this collection of photos for Marie Jo lingerie. At first, I thought they were mislabeled—this woman doesn’t resemble Kenza at all.

But I think it’s actually her, perhaps Photoshopped beyond recognition.

My fascination with Kenza is documented in these pages. Her face is not your typical, symmetrical, glamour-puss of a face. That’s precisely what I find so attractive about her. But in these photos, it looks like someone has tried to digitally make her resemble Catherine Zeta-Jones or someone. It’s disappointing.

Anyway, Photoshop is my theory. I suppose makeup, camera angles, even plastic surgery could have contributed. Or maybe it’s not actually Kenza—though you can see a resemblance in the eyes.

In any case, here are some lovely lingerie shots with her Kenza-ness kept intact.

Also, a few years ago, she was part of this ad campaign for BLK DNM. Kenza is Tunisian, and this power pose was in support of the Tunisian Revolution. I’m not sure what jeans have to do with Tunisia, but I’m a fan of the image.

This BLK DNM blog has some Kenza photos as well. (It’s a Tumblr, so the pages are probably in constant flux, but poke around if you’re interested.) She’s sporting a pair of snug, shiny jeans in a lot of the photos, which, man, trips a lot of triggers for me. Kind of heart-stopping.

Thanks for your contributions, Kenza!