“I no longer believe that there is such a thing as objectivity,” she once said. “Everyone has a point of view. Some people call it style, but what we’re really talking about is the guts of a photograph. When you trust your point of view, that’s when you start taking pictures.”
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- Annie Leibovitz
Born in 1949, American photographer Annie Leibovitz is a renowned artist in her field, best known for powerful celebrity portraits and breaking societal norms in photography. With her father being a Lieutenant Colonel in the US air force, Leibovitz travelled a lot in her early life and would take her first photographs stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam war. In 1970 she began working for Rolling Stone Magazine and within 3 years was named magazine's chief photographer. Moving to Vanity Fair in 1983, Leibovitz has honed her skill on celebrity portraiture for many years, taking inspiration from Richard Avedon and Henri Cartier Bresson, she is one of the most successful artists in her genre.
The Pirelli Calendar
"From 1964 to 2024, 50 editions of the Pirelli Calendar have been published, shot by 39 celebrated photographers. These milestones have made “The Cal” a milestone of contemporary photography."
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- Domus Web
The Pirelli Calendar, first published in 1964, stands as one of the most unusual branding tools - issued by the Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli, the calendar has never been a commercial product, instead, it has operated as a piece of art including high profile clients, photographers, and celebrities. It functioned as a marketing statement and has been very successful for that. For years, its whole style was built around glamorous, highly polished photos of women - supermodels, beaches, minimal clothing, and dramatic light. It became known for that look, and was very clearly shaped by the male gaze, showing women in a way that didn't leave much room for personality or depth.
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As time went on, that old style started to feel outdated. Culture changed, conversations about representation got louder, and people were less impressed with the same surface level images over and over again. Pirelli slowly tried new ideas, but the biggest shift came in 2016 when they asked Annie Leibovitz to take over. Instead of following the old formula, she completely changed it.
2016 Pirelli Calendar
​Leibovitz's 2016 edition focused on "women of achievement", not models known for their bodies. She photographed people like Serena Williams, Ava DuVernay, Fran Lebowitz, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, and Tavi Gevinson - women chosen for what they've done, not how they look. The photos were simple and stripped back. Models were given the opportunity to reveal as much or as little of themselves as they chose, in a soft light with real expressions. Her images felt honest and human, emphasising her intention to show the person instead of the appearance.
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One of the most memorable photos was of Amy Schumer, who posed almost nude on purpose. But instead of trying to look perfect, she made it funny and self aware, almost teasing the old Pirelli style. It highlighted how much the calendar has changed and the new elements it wanted to represent.
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Overall, the 2016 edition didn't just update the calendar, it set a new path for future editions. Leibovitz took something built on decades of glamour and showed that truth, talent, and presence can be just as striking. Her work changed the direction of the calendar and made it feel relevant again, grounded in real women and real impact instead of unrealistic perfection.
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Schumer's photograph in the 2016 Pirelli Calendar represents a significant shift in both the visual language and cultural purpose of the calendar. Historically, the calendar had been associated with the male gaze, presenting women as highly stylised, sexualised objects created for visual consumption.
The 2016 edition marked a deliberate move away from this tradition, focusing on women known for their cultural influence, talent, and achievements. Schumer's inclusion is particularly meaningful due to her public persona, which actively critiques unrealistic beauty standards and the objectification of women's bodies.
Amy Schumer Pirelli Calendar 2016
Schumer's body functions as a signifier that challenges conventional representations of femininity. Rather than being posed provocatively or fragmented into idealised body parts, her body is presented as whole, grounded, and unapologetically present. The lack of overt sexuality signifies a rejection of the idea that a woman's value lies in her desirability. Instead, the image communicates confidence, self-awareness, and autonomy. Schumer's neutral expression and relaxed posture suggest that she is not performing for the viewer, but rather existing on her own terms.
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The photograph strongly aligns with the concept of the female gaze. Unlike the male gaze, which positions the viewer as a dominant consumer of the female body, the female gaze prioritises subjectivity and agency. Schumer's image does not invite desire or approval - instead, it establishes an equal relationship between the subject and the viewer. The power remains with Schumer, not the audience. This shift challenged traditional power dynamics within fashion and editorial photography, where women are often constructed as passive objects of visual pleasure.
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Techincally, the use of black and white photography plays a crucial role in reinforcing these meanings. By removing colour, the image avoids the glamorised, commercial aesthetic commonly associated with erotic fashion imagery. The absence of colour draws attention to form, texture, and expression in more detail, allowing the viewer to engage with Schumer as a person rather than a sexualised body. The monochrome palette also gives the image a documentary or portrait like quality, further distancing it from the fantasy driven imagery of previous calendar editions.
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The lighting is soft and natural, with minimal contrast and no dramatic sculpting of the body. This approach avoids idealisation and allows natural skin texture to remain visible, resisting the perfection often imposed on female bodies in media. The composition is calm and balanced, centred and shot at eye level, which creates a sense of equality between the subject and the viewer. There is also an element of humour in the image which not only makes the image stand out further, but also sheds light on her personality as she is known best for her comedic roles in film and television - the humorous aspect links to the idea that her and the rest of the women in these images have personalities beyond their bodies and aren't just objects, rather, successful women with their own achievements, personalities, and lives beyond their appearance.
Leibovitz shifted the intentions of the calendar away from glamour and surface level beauty and instead focused on strength, identity, and the story a person carried. This links closely to Taylor Swift's reputation album, as that also rejects the olf, polished version of a woman and replaces it with something darker, stronger, and more self controlled. Taylor's reputation era is about taking back the narrative that the media had created for her, rebuilding herself, and deciding how she wanted to be seen. This is important for my project because I'm trying to show the same ideas through lighting, expression, and styling - a more controlled image, stronger message, and a visual style that pushes against the cliches people expect from a woman. Researching the Pirelli calendar has helped me think about how to show these messages through imagery to communicate themes of power, reinvention, and owning your story.