The Pirelli Company has just made a drastic change from its usual end-of-year calendar giveaway. Instead of featuring stunning supermodels in even more stunning and exotic location, the company has decided to do a complete turnaround and instead feature more intimate photographs, shot by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, of strong, powerful women who have made the headlines in their various fields.
According to reports, the last time Leibovitz shot a Pirelli calendar was in 2000 when she photographed models as classic Greek nudes.
"This calendar is so completely different. It is a departure. The idea was not to have any pretense in these pictures and be very straightforward," she said of the 2016 series of photos for the Pirelli calendar.
This turnaround features the women mostly fully clothed and highlights their achievements rather than their bodies. Reportedly, Leibovitz herself hand-picked each model for the shoot.
Comedian Amy Schumer joked that she was the only one who didn't get the memo that the models could wear clothes this year as she was photographed wearing nothing but white lace lingerie for her portrait.
Skin and feminine figures are still featured in the 2016 calendar. However, instead of hypersexualized women, the likes of Amy Schumer and Tennis star, Serena Williams, go topless, showing off their very different but beautiful bodies, while the 85-year old widow of John Lennon, performance artist Yoko Ono, bares some leg for her portrait. Model and philanthropist, Natalia Vodianova, also shows off her legs while wearing a voluptuous satin robe as she holds her youngest child in her arms.
Other women who will be featured in the calendar are Chinese actress and Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Yao Chen; and Musician and rock star extraordinaire, Patti Smith.
Fran Lebowitz, Tavi Gevinson, Ava DuVernay, Agnes Gund, Kathleen Kennedy, Mellody Hobson, and Shirin Neshat are also featured in the calendar.
The full 2016 Pirelli Calendar was revealed on Nov. 30 in London.
