The suit itself tends to make this a stronger image than it might otherwise have been. The cut is exotic, the "leopard" motif, the leather thongs that wrap the body all give the suit a hint of fetish. The creator of the suit is former model Colleen Kelly, whose designs can be found at www.sexyswimwear.com.

COLLEEN KELLY

"My suits for fitness competitors and women bodybuilders," reveals Colleen, "are intended to enhance the female physique, so they have to be revealing. I like designs that are cutting edge, striking - not something you'd find in a bikini shop. I like them to be sexy, but not cheesey or slutty. If you are a female physique star and need something to wear on stage or for photos, you want it to be eye-catching, you want people to say 'Wow!'. Also, when you know thousands of people are going to be looking at you, you need the confidence you get when you know what you are wearing makes your body look its best."

KEN MARCUS ASKS: WHAT DO WOMEN THINK?

But is the photo of Timea in question some kind of "sleazy porn" or something more? "I don't think I even need to answer that question," says Colleen. "We all know there are people very uptight about sex and the female body and are therefore easily offended by all sorts of things. I guess it's kind of an 'eye of the beholder' kind of thing. Actually, since I'm in the business of designing suits that are intended to push the envelope as far as possible, I'd be disappointed if some people weren't offended."

Actually, the question of what signficance we are supposed to attribute to the fact that somebody is offended is a crucial one for our times. A recent "Frontline" program on PBS warned that government prosecution of pornography is likely to begin again in earnest in the near future. The tool courts have given prosecutors is that of "community standards" - that is, does a given jury shown material accused of being pornography find it offensive or not? Never mind that most people who show up for jury duty nowadays are hardly representative of the larger "community" as a whole - or the fact that defining "community" in terms of geography given the culturally heterogenous make up of most of our cities becomes highly problemmatic. Nor does it answer the question as to where in the first admendment to the Bill of Rights, in which the government is prohibited from making laws against free speech, it is written that words or images of an erotic nature are to be an exception. In any event, the effort to define pornography continues to be a highly subjective enterprise - for judges and everyone else as well.

See subscriber area for more Timea photos.

One problem is that a large proportion of consumers of erotic material who enjoy "speech" of a sexual nature - whether it is extreme enough to be deemed pornographic or not - are too embarrassed that they are buying magazines, renting videos and surfing the net in search of "porno" of some sort to admit it. But if you have a billion dollar industry then SOMEBODY must be spending all those dollars. If these people would speak up or express their sentiments in the voting booth we might fewer taxpayer rescources being wasted on so-called anti-smut campaigns. Furthermore, one can only assume that a certain percentage of these pornophiles are themselves judges, legislators and law enforcement officers, so it is evidently that anti-pornography crusades also embody their share of hypocrisy.

Anyway, you have to wonder exactly what business it is of the government or anybody else if you get off on watching Pamela Anderson on VIP, like the sexy photos in FHM, subscribe to Playboy or HUSTLER, rent porno movies or whatever? Again, free expression is free expression and this shouldn't be limited because of the "will of the majority" or the religious/moral views of people in power. Remember, the Bill of Rights was created specifically TO PROTECT THE MINORITY FROM THE VIEWS, TASTES AND OPINIONS OF THE MAJORITY. In other words, from the tyranny of "community standards."

Yes, I did call it sleazy. No question about that and I still think it's sleazy. I never said Timea didn't look great but that has nothing to do with my original post. My post stated this picture was not appropriate for a mainstream bodybuilding magazine. I still believe that and I'm allowed my beliefs. If the picture appeared in Muscle Elegance I never would have questioned it's publication. In Muscle Elegance the photograph would have been one of the most tasteful images the magazine ever published. Let's get one thing straight, attacking the use of a photograph does not necessarily imply an attack on the model or photographer. It was an attack on a publisher who used a photograph to increase sales without regard to any sense of decency. "Pich Blaaknes"

Of course, nobody is actually trying to censor the Timea photo in question so that's not the problem. It is the possiblility that too many will be self-righteously "offended" and help propel us down the slippery slope of government interference with free speech that once cause the Attorney General of the United States to threaten the company that owns 7-Eleven with being prosecuted for distributing pornography because the stores sell Playboy! Given the "soft core" nature of Playboy nowadays this could be viewed as ludicrous except that those making the threats - against 7-Eleven, Playboy, Larry Flynt or anyone else -have the POWER to do a great deal of damage, ruin lives, and put people out of business.

So where do YOU stand? If you are reading this, chances are you are part of the "community" of those who like looking at photos of attractive

physique women. If you like (or dislike) the Timea photo you might want to share your opinions with Iron Man at http://ironmanmagazine.com/ironman/csrcontact.htm. Or you might feel like telling Timea your feelings about her photo (or even that you want a copy). You can reach her at Timeamajorova@aol.com.

And you might also decide to express your views on censorship to your local government or congressional representatives. Remember - ONCE THEY TAKE AWAY RIGHTS THEY ALMOST NEVER GIVE THEM BACK. A word to the wise.