TAKING THE PLUNGE
For years body-beautiful female celebs wondered which was the better of Hollywood's two most revealing fashion trends: bare abs or extreme cleavage. Little did they know they'd one day have it both ways. With unbuttoned blouses all the rage—not to mention navel-grazing necklines—stars including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jamie Lee Curtis and Elizabeth Hurley are suddenly flashing amazingly long stretches of skin. "I'm a big believer in If you've got it, you shouldn't think twice about flaunting it,' " says Carmen Electra, the soon-to-be cohost of MTV's Singled Out. "It's sexy to show your body, especially if you work out and take care of yourself." Adds fashion stylist Karin Labby, whose clients include Paltrow and Ellen DeGeneres: "Unbuttoned blouses are one of the most devil-may-care trends to come around in a long time. It's about pushing the envelope as far as you can."
For well-toned celebs at least, the look makes sense, according to Helen Fisher, an anthropologist affiliated with Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., who studies human sexuality. "They've spent an awful lot of money on their bodies, and they want to show them off," she says. "There's no better way to get talked about than to take your clothes off." There is, however, one major hazard: fallout. But, says Labby, "if you're that close to being naked, what's the big deal if someone gets a glimpse of your breasts?"
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