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To the uneducated mind cleavage is only a means for the fairer sex to attract men. While this is partly true - some
men can be simplistic in their reactions to visual stimulation - there is more to cleavage than meets the eye.
The use of cleavage on the Plateau reveals much about the characters and how they adapt to the world around them.
| Her very own style... |
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| Veronica's original leather top |
| Veronica's Year 3 top |
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| Too bad Malone isn't there to appreciate the new style |
Let's start with Veronica. Her look - designed by herself - is a clear departure from the world of her parents.
We see a little bit of Zanga influence in her clothes, but overall the design is uniquely her own. When we
first meet Veronica, she already has the style that emphasizes her healthy body. A vegetarian and exercise devotee she
is the poster child for a health-conscious Plateau lifestyle.
After living with the explorers for a year we see a new look that has all the essential style elements, but with a more
pronounced cleavage. After two years the top emphasizes her cleavage even more. She obviously changed the cut of her
top to get this more voluptous look. Some fashion experts have speculated that this was influenced by Marguerite Krux and
some advanced sewing techniques that she taught Veronica. We respectfully disagree. In clothing matters Veronica has never
really asked for advice from anyone, she is her own woman in her search for the perfect look. Our research has shown that
two aspects of her life coincided with her plight for more cleavage exposure. The first one is her growing interest in
matriarchal religions, most of whom present the female body in their religious artifacts in a fully or partly unclothed
state. The second one is her interest in Ned Malone. This charming young man - consistently the man with the best hair on
the Plateau - has always been smitten with Veronica, but their relationship has gone through a lot of false starts. Obviously
the jungle beauty was hoping that a show of cleavage might get Ned to be more proactive in pursuing her. Unfortunately when
he finally did, she decided to dump him and just "be friends". No wonder Ned ran off to find himself. We hope wherever he
is he will find a good hair stylist. The man has a reputation to uphold. And Veronica needs a man who appreciates her look
and does not show his appreciation of her by trying to poison her with arsenic.
| Cleavage for the sake of cleanliness |
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| A perfectly appropriate show of cleavage |
Marguerite Krux is a different matter altogether. Her style is strongly rooted in Parisian fashion and while she is certainly
ahead of her time in wearing slacks, she is a far cry from the carefree attitude of Veronica. In her first year on the
Plateau Miss Krux showed cleavage only in three situation. She was dressed in native garments, because a crisis situation
required it. She was worried about her blouse getting sweaty during a vigorous rowing exercise on the Amazon. And last but
not least - she had to clean up a bit after a long hike through the jungle. Some commentators have mentioned to us that
Lord John Roxton always seems to be present whenever she takes off her blouse, but we think that this is pure coincidence.
Miss Krux knows that an intellectual like Lord Roxton is much more impressed by her linguistic abilities than her outward
charms. Although - there is his unfortunate dalliance with Danielle, the Voodoo Queen (see Fashion Hall of Shame), a woman who had some talents for crafts and chemistry, but no style whatsoever. Her use of cleavage deserves a citation!
But we digress....
| A lapse in judgement |
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| Roxton gets way too close to the Voodoo Queen |
| And Marguerite loses it and bares her bra |
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| Malone and Roxton pretend not to notice her state of deshabille |
| Followed by an encounter with a tourist wife |
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| He claims it was all perfectly innocent... Of course! |
In her second year on the Plateau Marguerite went through a crisis, both from an emotional and fashion point of
view. The disappearance of Arthur Summerlee was the first blow. The loss of the kindly old man, who was a lot less judgemental
and more accepting of Marguerite than the other Treehouse inhabitants, was very painful for her. The burgeoning relationship
with Lord John Roxton also hit a few skids. In a typical display of male relationship angst he started to pursue every Voodoo
Queen and Amazon that came along, thus creating feelings of frustration and anger in Marguerite. Let's not forget, the dating
pool on the Plateau is fairly limited, once you exclude ape men, trogs and homicidal maniacs. To see an eligible bachelor
display such poor taste must have been traumatic for Marguerite.
Marguerite reacted with a full plunge into cleavage. The woman whose clothes were always understated and of a simple
elegance suddenly started to unbutton her blouses and show off her white corsets and camisoles. Fashion experts everywhere
were concerned. What was happening? Why the blatant style clash between early 20's century style and Veronica-like cleavage?
The answer was clear - an obvious expression of an emotional crisis. But Marguerite Krux is a fighter and she worked through
her issues and after a few months she was back to her old elegant self. No more exaggerated shows of cleavage, no
more peek-a-boo corset moments, all was well again on the Plateau. Some say that it was due to Lord John Roxton finally coming
to his senses and focusing his attention fully on Marguerite instead of the Jungle Tart of the Week, but we firmly believe
that Marguerite would have mastered this crisis with or without him. She is the Style Queen of the Plateau after all.
| Marguerite is not herself.... literally! |
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| The domestic goddess look is a clear indication of sinister forces at work |
| Marguerite is her old stylish self |
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| Cleavage crisis is over and Lord Roxton is finally as attentive as he should be |
| Things get slowly back to normal |
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| Subdued show of cleavage - Marguerite is busy outsmarting Avery Burton |
Why haven't we mentioned Finn in this column? What's there to say?
| We've seen the future of style... |
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| And it looks pretty bleak! |
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