Pirelli has announced the stars of the 2017 edition of its prestigious calendar.
According to Vanity Fair, next year’s edition will be shot by the German fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh and is set to include the following actresses: Lupita Nyong’o, Jessica Chastain, Uma Thurman, Nicole Kidman, Lea Seydoux, Robin Wright, Zhang Ziyi, Helen Mirren, Rooney Mara, Penelope Cruz, Julianne Moore, Charlotte Rampling, Alicia Vikander, Kate Winslet, and Jessica Chastain, along with Moscow State University professor Anastacia Ignatova.
The calendar—which is published by the Italian tire manufacturer’s British subsidiary—is famous for featuring some of the most iconic models and Hollywood stars captured by leading photographers.
Since it’s launch in 1963, the Pirelli calendar has typically featured predominantly young and nude (or minimally clothed) models. However, last year’s edition made headlines by breaking the format and showcasing a more diverse range of women, including the likes of Serena Williams, Patti Smith, and Yoko Ono, among other cultural luminaries.
Peter Lindbergh shooting the calendar in New York City. Photo: iSPEED via Facebook.
This year, with an average age of 44, the calendar will feature a more mature group of women in the upcoming edition. Photographer Peter Lindbergh told Vogue that the intention for the 2017 calendar was to send “a counter message to [the industry’s] fake beauty ideal.”
A veteran of the fashion industry, Lindbergh is keen to use the platform of the Pirelli calendar to make a statement against society’s unrealistic beauty standards. “People think beautiful is what you see in advertising and in magazines—all these retouched women,” he told Vanity Fair. “You have to be perfect, you have to be thin, you have to be young—you have to be all this, and this is bullshit. It’s so awful, and this image of beauty is imposed on people for commercial reasons, because you can’t make money [if] you say to someone, ‘You know what, you’re beautiful the way you are.’”
The calendar will be released in November 2017.