It would be a huge disappointment…(to) go back to sexy girls who are too young to have accomplished anything.
~Jennifer Zimmerman
Are we seeing a shift from ogling women for how they look to appreciating women for what they accomplish?
I hope so.
The Italian tire maker Pirelli is known for its exclusive pinup calendars. For over 40 years the company has hired top-notch photographers to produce pictures of women in various stages of undress.
The 2016 calendar will be different.
Photographer Annie Leibovitz called women who were shocked to get a pinup request. Agnes Gund, a 77-year old philanthropist said in the 12/3/15 New York Times, “That’s odd. What’s that got to do with someone like me?”
“I thought it was a joke,” said noted author Fran Lebowitz.
This calendar will celebrate women who have created something notable in their lives. Age and race weren’t a factor. Yoko Ono is October’s woman for October, and Ava DuVernay, the director “Selma”, is the woman for July. Other women include Shirin Neshat, Iranian artist, Kathleen Kennedy , producer, Patti Smith, singer, and Serena Williams. Amy Schumer is one of the few scantily clad women, and joked that “she didn’t get the memo.”
Speaking about the tire manufacturer, “You have to give them credit for being bold,” said Mellody Hobson, the president of a $10 billion management firm and June’s pinup photo.
Bold, yes, but it’s also generated by monetary interests, as the number of women buying expensive cars needing high-end tires is increasing. Like other women, I’ve seen pinup calendars in a gas station bathroom and a company break room, and I didn’t enjoy it.
Are we at a new place, where our women heroes are based on the lives they create, not on how they look?
Time will tell.
