This Year's Pirelli Calendar Features No Supermodels...But It Does Have A Topless Amy Schumer

The world-famous Pirelli Calendar is known for featuring glamorous supermodels, however for 2016, Anna Leibovitch has decided to shun tradition and shoot some of the world's most inspiring women.

The 43rd edition of the hotly-anticipate calendar has previously featured Gigi Hadid, Joan Smalls and Adriana Lima, but this year, Anna wanted to represent real women and enlisted actress Amy Schumer, tennis star Serena Williams and Chinese actress Yao Chen to star in the glossy pages.

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Shot by Anna for the first time, this year's calendar features women wearing layers of clothes and if they're naked, she claims it's for a purpose.

Also amongst the inspiring women to star in this year's calendar is Russian model Natalia Vodianova, who founded the charity Naked Heart Russia, art collector Agnes Gund and her granddaughter Sadie Rain Hope-Gund and the Chairperson of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy.

Film director Ava DuVernay, writer Fran Lebowitz, charity worker Mellody Hobson, blogger Tavi Gevinson, founder of online magazine Rookie, Shirin Neshat, singer Patti Smith and performer Yoko Ono have also been photographed for the iconic issue.

Strikingly, this year, the Pirelli Calendar, which makes headlines every year for it's artistic approach to nude portraits, features no nude snaps.

Speaking about the new approach she's taken to the 2016 calendar, Anna said: "The 2000 Calendar was an exercise in photographing nudes.

"It was a simple concept. For 2016, we did something completely different, but it is still simple.

"It is a classic set of black-and-white portraits made in the studio."

Anna said she is thrilled to be part of such a huge change in the industry and wanted people to focus on women's accomplishments rather than their body.

"When Pirelli approached me, they said they wanted to make a departure from the past," she said.

"They suggested the idea of photographing distinguished women.

"After we agreed on that, the goal was to be very straightforward. I wanted the pictures to show the women exactly as they are, with no pretense.

"I'm a great admirer of comediennes.

"The Amy Schumer portrait added some fun. It's as if she didn't get the memo saying that she could keep her clothes on."

Indeed Amy Schumer looks stunning in the snap, as she poses with nothing on but a pair of sheer underpants, a killer pair of heels and a coffee cup .

The blonde bombshell shares a cheeky smile with the camera, while challenging everyday perceptions of women everywhere.

Tennis star Serena Williams also stuns in nothing but a pair of black underpants.

Her tasteful shot shows off her muscular figure and has been taken in a way to emphasize her strength and power.

Last year's calendar featured Karen Elson, Anna Ewers, Isabeli Fontana, Gigi Hadid, Candice Huffine, Adriana Lima, Sasha Luss, Cameron Russel, Joan Smalls, Natalia Vodianova and Raquel Zimmerman.