"The ideal of perfect beauty promoted by society is something that simply can’t be attained."

- Peter Lindbergh

The 2017 Pirelli Calendar is making headlines already and for the right reasons. The Italian tire brand had started a tradition of Pirelli calendars in 1963, publishing a calendar of beautiful women in exotic locations to give away as a gift to customers. Featuring glamazons in its iconic calendars every year since, beautiful actresses and supermodels photographed by legendary names like Bert Stern, Herb Ritts, Helmut Newton and Richard Avedon made each edition of the Pirelli calendar a coveted collector’s item. For 2017 the line up of women included in the calendar is impressive in not just the names but also the manner they have been captured on photographs. Peter Lindbergh, accompanied by actresses Helen Mirren, Uma Thurman and Nicole Kidman unveiled his work in Paris on Tuesday. Natural beauty, captured in its most unadulterated, raw form in a series of black and white portraits builds upon Anne Leibovitz’s work from last year. In a BTS video, Lindbergh explains his concept for the shoot. He said that he approached “the best actresses in the world, who have something to say” and told them that he wanted to do something that is “a cry against the terror of perfection and youth." Instead of perfect bodies, he says that his focus was on “sensitivity and emotion, stripping down to the very soul of the sitters, who thus become more nude than naked." The campaign was shot in Berlin, Los Angeles, New York, London and Le Touquet, France, including acting veterans, newcomers and mid-careers stars. Helen Mirren, Charlotte Rampling, Nicole Kidman, UmaThurman, Julianne Moore, Robin Wright, Penelope Cruz, Kate Winslet, Jessica Chastain, Zhang Ziyi, Lupita Nyong'o, Rooney Mara, Léa Seydoux and Alicia Vikander posed for Lindbergh for his third outing with the Pirelli calendar. Their faces are devoid of makeup, and the photos are unretouched. Dame Mirren declared that the calendar marked “a cultural shift, a real opening up and a big change” towards less sexualized images of women.   Images: PeterLindbergh/Pirelli 2017