The 2016 Pirelli Calendar will be a drastic departure from the multinational firm's past annuals.
The Pirelli Calendar is a tradition dating back to 1964. The publication is exclusively offered as a corporate gift to Pirelli's most important clients and certain celebrity VIPs. Traditionally, being a "Pirelli girl" was a mark of success as a model, actress or otherwise-recognized pretty person. Past monthly subjects include Heidi Klum, Sophia Loren and Hilary Swank.
This year, however, the Pirelli Calendar will celebrate a different kind of success. The 2016 Pirelli Calendar will feature such female icons as Serena Williams, Amy Schumer, Yoko Ono and Patti Smith, to name a few. Shot by Annie Leibowitz, the women will appear in "strong but natural" poses -- a complete revolution of Pirelli's wildly eroticized past pin-ups.
Feminist Pin-Up Calendars
The 2016 Pirelli Calendar Features Strong, Successful Female Icons
Trend Themes
1. Empowered Women Calendar - New calendars featuring successful, strong women will provide an alternative to the traditional sexualized pin-up calendars.
2. Diversity in Pictorial Representation - Traditional eroticized ideas of beauty are being challenged by new depictions of diverse, strong women in high-end publications.
3. Feminist Icons in Mainstream Culture - Mainstream companies are promoting feminist role models in their branding to appeal to a growing audience of socially aware consumers.
Industry Implications
1. Publishing - Publishing companies can produce alternative calendars that promote empowering and diverse role models for a market that is looking to move beyond traditional ideas of beauty.
2. Fashion - Fashion industry can use diverse iconography that transcends traditional beauty stereotypes to appeal to a growing socially aware consumer base.
3. Marketing - Marketing firms can support mainstream companies to challenge the sexualization of women by promoting authentic and powerful representations of female beauty.