Full Frontal Spectacle

Pamela, Miss October

Through the 2012 season, we've seen the usual ups and downs that we see every year, but we're still looking for that "statement" Playmate who truly remains when all is said and done. This is a model that really puts a ribbon on the year, being the posterchild that truly personifies the Playmate class. Last year, it was Amanda Cerny. In 2010, Katie Vernola and PMOY Claire Sinclair left that mark.

It's already autumn now, but we still hadn't had that truly special girl yet. Shelby Chesnes and Alana Campos are great models, but they certainly aren't the memorable and impactful women that could carry on a real legacy. But, in October we find spunky Californian Pamela Horton being the featured Playmate. This woman has something to point out, that perhaps no one else so far in 2012 has done, and it's an exciting thing.

Before tackling that, let's go through the tangibles. Firstly, Pamela was featured on a fantastic magazine cover, where sadly Playmates are not featured as much as they used to be. The fully nude side-shot and a coy look really showed what Pam was all about here.

When you get to her pictorial, the first thing you immediately notice is Pamela's extremely slim body. At 5' 7", she has a moderately tall frame that looks that much taller due to her light weight. Her smooth, thin body might have been a departure from the archetype of the modern model, but you will also notice right away that she has one fantastic butt. For such a slim model, it's very unexpected. And because she's so thin (an unbelievable 22-inch waist), her waist-to-hip ratio is one of the smallest we've seen in more than four years (Ida Ljungqvist was a 0.6, while Pam is a 0.63).

Pamela's October issue cover
shows off her smooth body lines

What that boils down to is a very tapered waistline that cinches extra in photos because of the size of her hips. And add to that Pamela's comparatively small breasts, and you have a strangely unbalanced body style. She doesn't have the hourglass that is the norm nowadays, but in the end it's actually quite refreshing. This is a body you don't see in the magazine nowadays, and Miss Horton greatly benefits because of it.

Getting past the physique, we come back to Pam's great intangible qualities. This is a model who looks like nothing we've seen before, certainly not in the past couple of years. Her thin, flat hair sits atop a really intriguing face, with a very wide, intriguing smile and sexy, full lips. The look of her face is akin to Angelina Jolie at times, and is downright incomparable to any Playmate that we've seen recently.

It all comes together with a solid pictorial featuring a model who has the talent to back up her Playmate nomination. Initially, I was skeptical about this model coming in and looking raw and fresh, but she has proven herself. I don't know if there was a great Playboy transformation project here, but Pam is perfectly suited for the job, albiet flawed due to the imbalance in her body and some inconsistency issues.

• Face: A-
  While not a classic beauty by any means, you can't compare Pamela to other models - it's apples to oranges in this category. Pam's face is full of passion and emotion, with a sullen, sexual look pervading her photos. Her mouth is particularly gorgeous, with a wide smile and exceptionally full lips looking like they positively pop out of the page. While she's not the bombshell with the voluminous hair and batting eyes, she's endearing in different ways.
• Body: A-
  Having a very atypical frame, Pamela's very thin but strong body is juxtaposed with a great lower body. Her waist-hip-ratio is the lowest in years due to her spectacularly thin waistline. Her breasts are small in comparison, but fit her upper body well, and make for some fantastic full-frontal shots (although 360-degree looks suffer at times). Pamela looks particularly fantastic when she's shot at full-length, with some awesome body lines due to her unusual build.
• Talent: A
  Pamela puts her body to as good a use as anyone could, and plays her strengths like a fine fiddle. She frames herself perfectly in many shots, squaring her sharp shoulders and delivering some dead-on looks and continuously physical poses. Although she isn't bombastic, she realizes that and unabashedly delivers some memorable shots.
• Pictorial: A
  I can't fault Playboy on this one - after a couple of duds, they've shot Miss Horton wonderfully. It isn't a perfect pictorial, but the subject matter is portrayed nearly perfectly, with some awesome frontal photos that show off the slimness of the model quite well. They also do a good job of framing Pam's lower body, which is also one of the centerpieces here.
• Centerfold: B+
  Pamela's centerfold is beautiful, but doesn't do a very good job of showcasing the intricacies of the model here. Pam is a great model who deserves more - I would have liked to see a more raw photo of her uncovered front profile (hips, shoulders, and all).
• Overall: A
  In Pamela, we really get one of the most intriguing Playmate entries we've seen this year, perhaps in years. This is a complex, deep model with lots of talent, who gives a great performance. While she isn't picture perfect by any means - she could carry a more sparkling, glamorous style and have a more balanced body - she doesn't disappoint in terms of what she can do best. With an uncommonly natural body and an emotionally charged posing style, this is a woman who could make a charge for Playmate of the Year, as she bolts into my top two, right up there with Shelby. In the end, she carries the distinction of being far more memorable than her competition.