Owning a Pirelli calendar might just be the dream of every
mechanic. The Pirelli calendar is published by the UK subsidiary of the tyre company
Pirelli, and since its inception in 1964 has caused controversy
with its pictures of naked women.
Among this year’s women featured in the calendar is Resident
Evil beauty Milla Jovovich.
The actress appears fully nude in the calendar, which was shot by Italian
photographer Mario Sorrenti on the Mediterranean island of Corsica
this summer.
Jovovich signed up for the sultry shoot to work with Sorrenti, who she has
known since they were both teens trying to get into the fashion industry.
"There's sex appeal, there's innocence, there's intimacy, there's
sensuality - there's so many emotions happening but, in the end, you get that
one shot, that magical, decisive moment." Milla says.
The 2012 Pirelli calendar also features full-frontal images of Italian
actress Margareth Made, Dutch supermodel Lara Stone and Sorrenti's
ex-girlfriend Kate Moss.
"He adores women - he really loves the female form and everything about
it" Kate says about the photographer.
The calendar is famous for its
limited availability. It is not sold and is only given to celebrities or as
a corporate gift. Perhaps because of its exclusiveness the Pirelli Calendar is the
only calendar of this kind that is regarded as being prestigious.
Over the years, the appearance on
the calendar has become a mark of distinction for those models that were chosen
to be featured in the calendar, as well as for the photographers that participated
in its production.
Being bombarded by the media with
images of half-naked women on a daily basis, the pictures featured in the
Pirelli calendar might be less controversial today than 20 or 30 years ago.
Still, the fact is the calendar
features images of full frontal nudity. To see some preview images of the Pirelli 2012 calendar, visit
telegraph.co.uk (
warning: link contains images of uncensored full frontal nudity).
Do you feel offended by images
like this? Do you believe that they contribute to an ongoing trend of sexual
objectification of women?