#12 - Carmella DeCesare

In the early years of the new millennium, the tides were turning to more exotic and varied Playmate from all directions. Carmella DeCesare was one of the modern pioneers of the "exotic wave" of recent times when she was named Miss April 2003. Carmella was introduced at a time when the days of the big-breasted white blonde were gone from Playboy, and as the fans wanted a taste of something different, Carmella became one of the most successful Playmates in recent times, being named Playmate of the Year in 2004. In a tough year of competition, along with Pennelope Jimenez, Tailor James, Divini Rae, and the Teles sisters, she hung on and experienced unprecedented growth.

No one to this day has earned Cyber Girl of the Month, Playmate of the Month, and Playmate of the Year honors besides Carmella. She came in with a look and a style which wowed audiences and captured their hearts because of her bright, playful nature. She wasn't the prototypical Playmate: an Ohio native with smaller breasts, very slim and not voluptuous, extremely tall (5'8"), and a brunette with a mix of Latina flavors. That's why she reshaped the view of what a Playmate is supposed to be, and that's how today's stars caught the spotlight.

Carmella certainly looked like no one else before her, and doesn't have any equal even today. Her pictorial starts with a gorgeous look at her amazing smile and petite figure. She spins around, and you can see that she's extremely photogenic in all settings. Something about her brightens up the camera, and it's immediately obvious that she's one-of-a-kind. She also has incredible, uncanny posing techniques, like this stripping of her skirt, and this lovely shot of her hips. When it comes down to it, Carmella was also undeniably sexual, given her bouts of sassy energetic poses, as well as her playful demeanor whenever she needed to turn up the heat. It should be clear that Carmella had incredible talent that just came naturally. Being a Playmate of the Year as well as a Cyber Girl meant that she had done numerous pictorials, but no two photos looked alike, and that is quite an accomplishment. She has several "posing modes," like when she needs to lay back and passively let her body do the talking, or when she needs to sizzle a little bit and work her moves by actively letting you into her mind.

In her PMOY pictorial, I found these car photos especially spicy, giving her a lean, mean look that gives you a clue about her broad spectrum of talent and artistry.

I'll say it again: Carmella has no equal in Playboy history. In a two-year stretch, she won awards and ascended the Playmate ladder unlike anyone before her, and made a definite mark on the way Playmates are chosen today. She was at the forefront of everything that makes a modern model excellent: naturally striking looks, a strong sexual attraction, and outstanding posing talent in any situation. She was versatile and artistic, and she did it all without the typical "buxom blonde" looks of years past. She also helps us break into the top half of our ranking, as we inch closer to the Top 10. It's only going to get better from here on in.