By Ralph P.
First look at the new Pirelli calendar got you wondering if you are really staring at the right one. Women clad in normal clothes and some modest enough, they are the new stars of fashion’s dubbed NSFW calendar.
But they aren’t just women. They are women of confidence, taste and influence changing the world we live in.
This year’s photographer Annie Leibovitz captured strong images of women in all forms who include artist Yoko Ono, Amy Schumer, Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova, Agnes Gund, Patti Smith, tennis champ Serena Williams, writer Fran Lebowitz, Rookie founder Tavi Gevinson, “Selma” director Ava DuVernay, Kathleen Kennedy, Mellody Hobson, Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat, and Chinese actress Yao Chen.
In a source by Vogue, the famed lensman said, “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 also added, “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.”
Clearly, the calendar had ditched the expected combo of supermodels in skin tight clothing and exotic locales. But what’s striking with the images are the strong message conveyed on the role of women in the society. The shots are straight forward and no pretense and are all equally empowering and inspiring.
