Stuck in a Rut

It's really tough to explain just how poor this year's Playmate class has been. It isn't just a down year - I have not rated any of the women so far this year higher than a B+, and that has not happened in quite some time. Decades, even. If the trend keeps up (which I don't believe it will), this could be the worst Playmate class in a long time.

With Miss August, I thought that help was in sight. We've had some inconsistency in posing, as well as some truly uninspired posing styles, but here came busty Ukrainian Iryna Ivanova, with a fresh face and lustrous eyes, who could perhaps inject some sizzle into a dismally cold and boring class.

Unfortunately, this isn't the savior we're looking for.

Iryna is, to put it straight, a very one-dimensional model. She has a very intriguing face and a buxom body that may be appealing to many, but she just does not have the gravitas and posing ability that an A-class Playmate needs to possess. Instead, Iryna just appears to lack a true identity in her posing, although taking viewers on a decent ride through a colorful pictorial.

Iryna's pictorial is not revolutionary by any means, but it is still well-executed and has a beautiful summertime feel that is wholly appropriate, obviously. However, it isn't always clear in it that Iryna is the perfect model for the setting. With this model, full-on body shots just look awkward and wrong, and her body often looks too sloppy and voluptuous to be photographed this way. Instead, Iryna excels when prone, with her sexy, slick lower half taking center stage. When she's pictured this way, she shows her curvy attributes without letting her rather silly looking breasts hang out in the breeze rather awkwardly.

This severely limits the way the editors were able to use Iryna, and you notice that they have her lying down flat for much of the pictorial, and this is where she is at her best. Otherwise, she just doesn't look all that appealing. If there is, however, one redeeming factor, it is her alluring face. Although she doesn't change up her expression much, and her forehead is a bit too large when not covered up by her bangs, she has some interesting facial features, particularly her amazing, sparkling eyes. Those dark, large eyes are something to behold, but can't make up for her other shortcomings, unfortunately.

• Face: A-
  Although her forehead is a bit large when not obscured by her hair, her face is soft, beautifully proportioned, and cute. Her deep, piercing eyes are full of intrigue, but she has a hard time "selling" her expressionless looks in her pictorial.
• Body: B
  With a more voluptuous and curvy body, Iryna is nice to look at when laying prone or in particular poses. When fully exposed, she suffers due to her strange, overly large breasts that are oddly proportioned even considering her larger frame.
• Talent: B-
  Iryna's pictorial is solid, but the model is certainly not. She often does nothing to counteract the her physical drawbacks, looking lost and disinterested throughout. She has an overly passive posing style that could not possibly get her any recognition further into the year.
• Pictorial: B+
  Iryna's pictorial is her one saving grace, with the editors doing a decent job of getting her into poses that suit her less physical style and body type. The entire production is colorful and includes some sexy bedroom scenes, but ultimately were wasted on the wrong girl.
• Centerfold: A-
  It might end up being the finest centerfold shot of the year, with a beautifully executed pose and an awesome shot of her nuanced face and engaging eyes.
• Overall: B
  Iryna came in with some promise, but leaves in the same fashion that nearly every other model has so far in 2011. There is virtually nothing that will leave an impression in viewers' minds, and besides her deep, beautiful eyes, she doesn't physically have much to leave behind, either. She has very minimal posing talent, taking on an almost oblivious look to executing her pictorial. Besides a very well-done centerfold, her pictorial is extremely hit-or-miss. But again, what else would be expect from a 2011 class that has seen all of these issues, and more? When putting all the models in perspective, Iryna is at par or above when it comes to aspects of the current crop of ladies. While the final few months of the year show some promise (Tiffany Toth, the very interesting Amanda Cerny, and Ciara Price), I will hold my judgement until we see the goods. I have great hope that our PMOY will come out of the end of the year, but only time will tell.