A host of power-women will feature in the 2016 Pirelli Calendar, and in doing so, challenge how women are represented in the media
If you were to leaf through previous issues of Pirelli’s famous long-running calendar, you might notice a theme. Yep, women known for their ‘model-good-looks’ have dominated almost every page from January to December since the first issue was debuted back in 1964.
Indeed, over the years, only models and actresses like Kate Moss, Gigi Hadid and Sienna Miller have been deemed photogenic enough to be ‘Pirelli Girls.’
But now, things are set to change, as a group of well-known female stars are challenging that convention.
First off Serena Williams revealed on Twitter that she will be featuring in the 2016 issue of the fashion tradition known as ‘The Cal.’
The 33-year-old athlete, who has recently turned her hand to fashion design, will be joined by 12 other inspirational women from an array of different backgrounds and industries.
Actress and comedian Amy Schumer, 34; Magazine editor and fashion It-girl Tavi Gevinson, 19; and 84-year-old icon Yoko Ono are just some of the power-women joining the list of Pirelli calendar girls.
The only model to feature in the line-up is Natalia Vodianova- chosen this time for her humanitarian work, rather than her supermodel looks.
The shift was a conscious choice by iconic photographer Annie Leibowiz to represent a wide range of powerful women.
'I started to think about the roles that women play, women who have achieved something. I wanted to make a classic set of portraits. I thought that the women should look strong but natural, and I decided to keep it a very simple exercise of shooting in the studio,' she told Vogue US.
The Cal 2016 will be released in London on November 30th, and we cannot wait to get our hands on a copy. Until then, we’ll have to make do with this Sneak Peek Behind-The-Scenes Video from Leibowiz’s shoot.