The Pirelli Calendar has been published annually since 1964, apart from a 10 year break from 1975-1983, and is known for it's beautiful, almost always nude, shots of women.
Next year's, however, is going to be pretty different to it's 42 predecessors. Shot by awesome American photographer Annie Leibovitz who has worked with the likes of the Queen, The Rolling Stones and John Lennon to name a very few of them, it features 12 portraits of 13 women of 'outstanding professional, social, cultural, sporting and artistic accomplishment.' And, seeing as the dialogue around women and equal opportunities is louder than ever, it's definitely 'right on time' as Annie put it.
Considering the legacy of the Pirelli Calendar, this is a big deal. For the first time ever, the stars of the calendar have been chosen not simply for their looks or their bodies, but because they're powerful women, whose strengths, beliefs, accomplishments and, basically, their all-round badass-ness, should be celebrated. This, as Clare Balding so accurately said at the press conference, 'is not just a calendar, it's a statement'.
These are the brilliant women who are gracing the pages of the 2016 Pirelli Calendar. Let's hope it's just the beginning.
Yao Chen - Foreword
A Chinese actress, Yao has over seventy million followers on Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter and Facebook) making her the most 'followed' on the website. She's also committed to humanitarian work and is the Chinese Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Natalia Vodianova - January
A successful model, in 2004, when she was only 22, Natalia set up The Naked Heart Foundation from her own childhood experiences. The foundation builds playgrounds in poor areas of Russia (where she was born) and provides disabled children with access to them, as well as providing support to families with special needs children.
Kathleen Kennedy - February
Kathleen is the president of Lucasfilm, who own the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and is one of the most successful producers in Hollywood. She has been the producer or executive producer of over sixty films including Schindler's List and the Back to the Future trilogy.
Agnes Gund and Sadie Hope-Gund - March
These two are grandmother and granddaughter and both are interested in the arts. Agnes is heavily involved in the arts; both as a collector and supporter whilst Sadie studies photography and media. At the press conference Agnes addressed how female artists 'don't get the prices they should at auction' because they're not 'thought to be as good investments' compared to their male counterparts.
Serena Williams - April
The number one women's tennis player and has won 21 career Grand Slams. She's also an International Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF.
Fran Lebowitz - May
Author (three books of her essays have been published), public speaker and social commentator; her uniform is a custom-made man's black jacket, white shirt with cuff links and jeans.
Mellody Hobson - June
Businesswoman, president of money management firm, Ariel Investments and Chairman of the Board of DreamWorks. She and her husband, filmmaker George Lucas, contribute to organisations which provide extracurricular programmes in schools.
Ava DuVernay - July
One of the very few African-American and female film directors in Hollywood. Amongst others, she directed and co-wrote Selma, she became the first black woman to direct a film that was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
Tavi Gevinson - August
On social media since she was 12, Tavi created her blog Style Rookie, now Rookie an online magazine for teen girls. As well as an influencer and inspiration to young people everywhere, Tavi is an actress.
Shirin Neshat - September
Shirin grew up in Iran before the Islamic Revolution. When she returned after graduating, she was affected by the changes in the country and began creating photographs, videos and films about women living in Islamic theocracy.
Yoko Ono - October
A visual artist, conceptual artist, performance artist, filmmaker, musician, composer and political activist. She is also the widow of John Lennon.
Patti Smith - November
Singer-songwriter, poet and political activist who combines rock, punk and poetry in her work.
Amy Schumer - December
Feminist stand-up comic and actress; her first feature film, Trainwreck, which she wrote was released this year.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.