Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman. Thank you @annieleibovitz pic.twitter.com/kc0rIDvHVi
— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) November 30, 2015
Amy Schumer didn’t get the message. That’s what The New York Times explains is the joke behind the comedienne’s photo in the tweet above, that she didn’t understand Annie Leibovitz’s vision for a progressively redesigned 2016 Pirelli’s Tires Calendar. But she did get the message; she got it loud and clear and that is why she agreed to be Annie’s Ms. December. Pirelli’s calendars are, famously, high-end pin up shots geared towards a predominantly male audience. These artistic and beautiful calendars are shot by top shelf photographers who recruit some of the best models in the industry to pose undressed and/or in provocative poses. This year, Pirelli chairman, Marco Tronchetti Provera, hired Annie, telling her he wanted to change things up:
Photographer Annie Leibovitz is the genius behind this year’s new direction. “Pirelli came to me and told me they wanted to shift this year to something different,” she said at today’s press conference. “I made the suggestion that they do women performance artists or women comedians, almost a take-off. I just thought of women I admired and I didn’t let anyone in the studio from Pirelli. It became a very strong set of very simple portraits.” The portraits include a topless Amy Schumer with her rolls proudly on display, Tavi Gevinson fully clothed and lounging on a chair, and Serena Williams facing away from the camera while flaunting her famously sculpted, curvy frame. Images are accompanied by paragraphs about each woman’s spectacular achievements in every arena from sports to philanthropy.
The Pirelli’s Calendar Website has a nice behind-the-scenes with Annie and some of the models and the New York Times has a slideshow of the all portraits. I generally like Annie Leibovitz’s work, but I don’t always. In this case, I could spend a great deal of time discussing the power of each portrayal. I cannot tell you my favorite or even single a few out to mention here – they are all so equal in their depiction. I’ve got my coffee, tell me which moves you and why.
The New York Times questions, however, Pirelli’s motivation – did they agree to Annie’s idea because feminism is the cause célèbre currently? Is this just a marketing ploy to endear women? Is Marco Tronchetti Provera capitulating by saying this year’s calendar, “reflects contemporary society?” I am not sure I care if I get Fran Lebowitz as Ms. May. Maybe what I am looking at is a corporate grab for my female dollars but what I am seeing is a male-centric publication that dates back to 1964 who isn’t afraid to make a stand on behalf of feminism. Of course, I would love for this to be motivated purely by idealism and ideology but if the end result is a collection of striking, thoughtful portraits of women being recognized for their accomplishments and individuality, I’ll take a little corporate sponsored feminism. If Meryl Streep and Marion Cotillard et al are willing to sell down their feminism to promote their brand, than I am willing to give Pirelli Tires a pass to sell up feminism to promote theirs.
Amy Schumer may be the most commercially well known in the group. She chose to post her photo to her Twitter account showing her on a stool, drinking a cup of coffee in heals and designer underwear with beautifully sculpted hair and a mock expression of surprise under the words, “Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman.” Damn straight Amy got the message.
Amy Schumer and Serena Williams are seductive masterpieces in the 2016 Pirelli Calendar: https://t.co/RC3nE766p4 pic.twitter.com/YUg0GcocZC
— E! Online (@eonline) November 30, 2015
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