YouTube
This years much-anticipated Pirelli calendar has been unveiled and it is in stark contrast with the Italian tyre manufacturers past issues – which are filled with nude, risque shots of world famous models.
The calendar carries on the theme of breaking down traditional beauty standards that Annie Leibowitz first introduced to the Pirelli calendar with *that* shot of Amy Schumer in the 2016 edition.
Shot by German photographer Peter Lindbergh, the calendar features thoughtful black and white portraits of some of Hollywood’s most famous actresses – including veterans of the silver screen like Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren and Julianne Moore.
The groundbreaking, star-studded calendar features raw, untouched and fully clothed images of the A-listers, many of whom are older women who would not typically be featured in a Pirelli calendar.
The 2015 edition, ‘Ladies in Latex’, featured several Victoria’s Secret models, such as Gigi Hadid and Adriana Lima, dressed in tight latex and lingerie, with some even completely topless. Although the 2015 edition was celebrated for including Candice Huffine, the first ever ‘plus size’ model to be cast in a Pirelli calendar, many commentators perceived the images as overtly provocative and hyper-sexualised.
Lindbergh, who has shot the Pirelli calendar twice before, explains in a behind-the-scenes video that his aim for the calendar was “to do something that is a cry against the terror of perfection and youth”.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, Lindbergh went on to explain that: “My aim was to portray women in a different way. The ideal of perfect beauty promoted by society is something that simply can’t be attainted.”
Other actresses featured in the 2017 calendar include: Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Rooney Mara, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlotte Rampling, Lea Seydoux, Uma Thurman, Alicia Vikander, Kate Winslet, Robin Wright, Zhang Ziyi and Russian professor of political theory, Anastasia Ignatova.
