The Pirelli calendar, known for its images of half-naked supermodels, has been given a radical overhaul.
After more than 50 years of tanned and lithe women gracing the pages in various states of undress, the 2016 edition will feature influential women such as Serena Williams, Amy Schumer and Patti Smith.
Legendary photographer Annie Liebovitz shot the calendar and told Harper's Bazaar it was Italian tyre company Pirelli who wanted to move away from the traditional nude photoshoots.
"They came to me with the mandate that they would like to do something different but I didn't let them in the door once I started shooting," she said.
That is not to say naked women won't be part of the 2016 calendar. Both Amy Schumer and Serena Williams have stripped down, while singer Patti Smith and teen writer Tavi Gevinson have remained clothed.
Yoko Ono, Iranian artist Shirin Neshat, Chinese actress Yao Chen and author Fran Leibowitz will also appear in the edition.
"We needed more than 12 months," Leibovitz said. "There's no beginning or end, we could've gone on and on."
The calendar was first produced in 1964 and has pictured supermodels such as Miranda Kerr, Gisele Bundchen and Christy Turlington. Known for its limited availability, the calendar is given to an exclusive group of 20,000 VIPs, according to the New York Times.
Schumer shared her photo on Twitter, writing: "Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman. Thank you @annieleibovitz".
The photo was flooded with overwhelmingly positive comments, with fans praising Schumer for being a positive body image advocate.
"Finally a picture of how women really look with out spanx, or liposuction, or photoshop! Love it!" one person wrote.
Leibovitz said she originally had reservations about shooting Schumer in her underwear.
"I was worried for her, I asked, 'are you self-conscious?' And she said, 'are you kidding? I love my body!'"
The calendar is a radical departure from the 2015 calendar, which featured Gigi Hadid in latex and Isabeli Fontana in chaps.
Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera told the New York Times the pivot showed the calendar "reflects contemporary society".
Tavi Gevinson said she hoped Pirelli wouldn't return to its traditional format in 2017.
"A white, able-bodied cis-gendered woman being naked is just not revolutionary anymore. I don't think anyone is going to be like, 'Damn, I wanted those naked chicks'."
Beautiful, gross, strong, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, sexy, disgusting, flawless, woman. Thank you @annieleibovitz pic.twitter.com/kc0rIDvHVi— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer)
November 30, 2015
