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'Real' women showcased

A new annual calendar that stays away from high-fashion, photoshopped models and showcases a diverse list of 'real' women is going viral online.

Pirelli unveiled the new 12 women calender shot by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz this week.

The calendar features a line up of women excelling in arts, entertainment and philanthropy such as Yoko Ono, Serena Williams, Patti Smith, Amy Schumer and Fran Lebowitz.

Leibovitz, who had previously shot for Pirelli in 2000 (photographing nude ballerinas), focused this year on diverse, powerful women who looked "strong, but natural."

“This calendar is so completely different, it is a whole other concept,” Leibovitz says in a behind the scene video from the shoot. “Pirelli gave me that freedom — they said they wanted to do a departure.”

The 12 women were reportedly hand selected by Leibovitz herself and shot in her studio this past summer.

Amy Schumer shared her photo online with her added sense of humour.

"Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman,” wrote Shumer.

In the behind-the-scenes video from the shoot, Schumer says this particular photo shoot and final photo left her feeling empowered.

“I felt I looked more beautiful than I've ever felt in my life, and I felt like it looked like me."

The calendar, which was known for his scantily-clad models, did definitely take a departure with this shoot as the majority of the women appear fully clothed with the exception of Williams and Schumer, who both appear topless, but not fully nude.

“Believe me, I do not think that naked girls are going out of fashion,” author Fran Lebowitz says in a the same behind-the-scenes video from the shoot. “But it is interesting that people are interested in different ways of looking at women.”

While launched by an Italian company that mainly manufactures tires, Pirelli's calendar is now a novelty within the fashion industry for being a who's who of talent both for models and photographers.

It has become an annual publication that dates back to 1964 and is highly sought after due its exclusivity – the calendar is not available for purchase to the public and is given only to top clients and VIPs.

Check out the full video from Leibovitz’s studio above.



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