The body of pro tennis player Serena Williams has been known to turn a few heads and make plenty of headlines. Her recent photo in the 2016 Pirelli Calendar will more than likely do just the same. The stunning image shows her highly toned body as she flexes and shows off the definition in her bare back and thighs.
BBC News posted a copy of the image on Instagram, stating in the caption that the calendar has in the past been known for showcasing supermodels, but for the 2016 edition, it took a different approach and decided to feature "inspirational women," like Williams; singer Yoko Ono, business woman Mellody Hobson and nine other women.
Photographer Annie Liebovitz is credited for selecting the women featured in the 43rd edition of the calendar according to EUR. According to the site, Liebovitz explained during a press conference how the whole thing came together, and the vision for the calendar. "Pirelli came to me and told me they wanted to shift this year to something different," Liebovitz explained. "I made the suggestion that they do women performance artists or women comedians, almost a takeoff. I just thought of women I admired and I didn't let anyone in the studio from Pirelli. It became a very strong set of very simple portraits. No one was supposed to look like they tried in these pictures." The calendar is still set to reveal "some skin shots" as reported by the Chicago Tribune, who also shared images of some of the other women featured in the calendar. The publication captured a tweet posted by Jenna Bond, who shared a photo of Hobson, featured as the June model, getting camera ready with a little makeup.
The Pirelli calendar has been in print since the early 1960s