The Pirelli Calendar, 2016 – From skin shows to “sheros”

Recently, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shared an interesting nugget — female income worldwide totalled $18 trillion in 2014. Antonio Achille, partner and managing director, BCG, calls it “an enormous untapped oppor

tunity”. Perhaps, this compelling figure had something to do with the tectonic shift in this year’s Pirelli calendar, that ultimate ode to the female body. Or maybe it was political correctness. Or was it a growing realization of female power (and its acceptance), and the rise of the female dollar, pound and rupee, something which is predicted to be on a steep upward curve?

Whatever be the reason, the Pirelli Calendar, 2016, is a breath of fresh air, breaking tradition and stereotypes, and featuring women of substance. The usual scantily-clad models have been replaced with clothed (in most cases) “sheros”, or female heroes, with the emphasis being on the resumes of the women, rather than their vital statistics. And the shero of the whole affair is photographer Annie Leibovitz, who went for her artistic expression of a modern woman achiever, in the process giving the go-by to male gratification.

Goodbye, regressive tradition

The Pirelli calendar, which is an annual limited edition art item released by the Italian tyre company, Pirelli, was launched in 1964 as an annual giveaway for garages that sold Pirelli tyres. Over the years, it has relied on nude, or barely clothed, models, and has earned a reputation for featuring the who’s who of the fashion industry, both in terms of models (including the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, et al) and photographers. It is literally a collector’s item, with people buying editions at auctions. Part of its allure lies in its exclusivity – it is a trade calendar, meaning it is only received by an exclusive group of VIPs, musicians, politicians and royalty.

And then came Leibovitz, turning things upside down and featuring 13 portraits of women renowned for their work in diverse fields, including comedy, sports, philanthropy, and art. Another notable departure from the Pirelli norm is that Leibovitz is the only woman — aside from the husband-and-wife duo of Inez and Vinoodh, in 2007 — to have photographed the calendar in over 25 years.

The accomplished women featured include tennis legend Serena Williams, Chinese actress Yao Chen, musician and author Patti Smith, comedienne Amy Schumer, artist and activist Yoko Ono, investor Mellody Hobson, critic and writer Fran Lebowitz, art collector Agnes Gund and her granddaughter, director and screenwriter Ava DuVernay, Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat, film producer Kathleen Kennedy, blogger and actress Tavi Gevinson, and Russian model and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova. Out of these, only Williams and Schumer are shown in their underwear. The edition does not discriminate in terms of age, race, or even traditional beauty standards, and the women have been chosen for their cultural impact and their talent, rather than their aesthetics. One of the featured women, Amy Schumer, posted the calendar photo on her Instagram account, with the caption, “Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman. Thank you Annie Leibovitz!”

So, what does it mean for women?

As far as symbolism goes, the message seems to be quite straightforward. Women have arrived. They are increasingly driving economic decisions, and it won’t do to just project them as “beautiful objects”.  They are no longer limited to the acquisition of detergents, nappies, soft furnishings, and cereals for their children, but more and more, are getting involved in big-ticket spending. From merely influencing purchasing decisions, women are now driving them. Surveys show that 50 per cent of vehicle purchases are decided by women, and 75 per cent are influenced by them in the US car market. The statistics may be different for India, but the trend is the same.

And it is reflected in the changing advertising scenario, with women being increasingly projected as decision-makers. Be it the Tanishq ad for its jewellery brand, Zuhur, which shows three women catching up after a long time, with no men around to present them the jewellery, or the Bharti Airtel ad, which shows the woman as the boss of her husband in the office, or Myntra’s ad which features a lesbian couple, women are being recognized as decision-makers and independent entities in India as well. It would stir things up further if India’s own glamour vehicle, the Kingfisher Calendar, would follow suit, do away with bathing beauties, and move on to something more tangible and meaningful.

As Leibowitz said of the Pirelli 2016 calendar featuring non-glamorous women, “It shouldn’t be a big step, but it is a big step”