The meaning of what qualifies as beautiful doesn’t always have to do with photo-shopped imagery and extreme makeup or makeover. A case in point is the Pirelli Calendar 2017 that features several actresses over the age of 40 and doesn’t conform but rather challenges the status quo.
Launched in Paris, the calendar “features a number of un-retouched actresses” and is shot by famous fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh. Among those who feature in the calendar (titled ‘Emotional’) are actresses like Dame Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Uma Thurman, Julianne Moore, Penelope Cruz, Robin Wright, Charlotte Rampling, Nicole Kidman as well as younger names like Alicia Vikander, Rooney Mara, Jessica Chastain and Lupita Nyong.
“My aim was to portray women in a different way,” said Lindbergh about the campaign. “And I did it by calling in actresses who have played an important role in my life, getting as close as possible to them to take my photos. As an artist, I feel I’m responsible for freeing women from the idea of eternal youth and perfection. The ideal of perfect beauty promoted by society is something that simply can’t be attainted.”
The idea, as Lindberg explained, behind the poignant black and white photos was to not accept the image of beauty that has been “created by commercial interests” and to remind one and all “what beauty really is.”
This isn’t first such effort though. After the 2015 Pirelli calendar that predominantly showcased fashion models such as Adriana Lima, Joan Smalls, Gigi Hadid and Isabeli Fontana, the 2016 version was shot by Annie Leibovitz and was revitalized by a different idea as it focused on women “of strength” such as Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, Serena Williams and Amy Schumer (among many others) instead of supermodels.