The New Pirelli Calendar Celebrates Women Over 40 And It’s About Time

For decades, the Pirelli Calendar, the exclusive, iconic annual publication by the Italian tire company, has been a glossy altar to youthful beauty; aspirational, glamorous, and, let’s be honest, age-selective to the point of invisibility for most women over 40 and counting. But this year, with the unveiling of The Cal 2026 by director and photographer Sølve Sundsbø, something extraordinary happened: the beauty narrative finally evolved.

And all I can say is: it’s about time.

When women like Isabella Rossellini, Eva Herzigova, Tilda Swinton, Luisa Ranieri, Venus Williams, and Gwendoline Christie step into the frame, some in their 40s, some in their 50s, Rossellini in her luminous 70s, something shifts. Not only in fashion, not only in culture, but in the collective imagination of what womanhood is allowed to look like.

For those of us who came of age flipping through magazines that treated women as expiring by 35, this moment is nothing short of revolutionary.

Why Pirelli Calendar 2026 Is a Little Revolution

The Cal’s 2026 edition, focused on “Elements,” fcasts a deliberate blend of younger and older women portrayed as elements of nature itself, finally acknowledges what we’ve known all along: our beauty doesn’t diminish. Nudity is present, but (almost) invisible. “Showing nudity is not politically incorrect. It becomes politically incorrect when there’s an abuse of power,” explains Sundsbø. “None of the women who posed did anything they didn’t want to do. Those who wanted to, undressed. Those who didn’t, didn’t.”

What strikes me most about Sundsbø’s vision is that the older women aren’t included as exceptions or symbols of “bravery.” They are included as powerhouses: athletes, actresses, icons, professionals, each representing not age, but essence. Not survival, but force.

Rossellini posing at 73 with her face framed by flowers? That is not just a portrait, it’s a reclamation of mature beauty. In that cloud of petals, she becomes both muse and manifesto, proof that beauty in its fullest form is not youthful innocence, but seasoned presence.

And how about Eva Herzigova floating as a mythical water figure at 52? She isn’t being asked to “look young.” She’s being asked to look powerful. Venus Williams? She is portrayed as literal fire, because she is. “I love challenges – she says- and doing this calendar was a small feat. In tennis, which has taught me so much, you can’t be sensual. Emotions have to be restrained, erased. Here it’s the opposite. After Wimbledon and the Pirelli, I don’t know what else I could ask for.”

Not a single woman is diminished, not a single one is edited into youthfulness. “They are women united by a strong self-confidence; they are neither fragile nor vulnerable. They are powerful, charismatic,” explains Norwegian photographer Sundsbø, known for his radical approach to new technologies and his avant-garde use of artificial intelligence. “No digital manipulation here.”

Finally the mainstream cultural imagery catching up to reality.

The Pirelli Calendar 2026’s New Direction

The Pirelli Calendar has long been a barometer of cultural attitudes toward femininity. If this new direction is any indication, society is finally embracing the idea that: age is not a flaw, maturity is not a liability, experience is not something to hide.

“Crucially they are all women, not young models,” says Sundsbø of those selected for the upcoming Cal, which was shot in June and July. “They are experienced, grown-up people whom I deeply respect for what they do. Some I wanted to meet and photograph for the first time. Others I have worked with before and wanted to photograph again. It was a bit like: ‘Who would you like to have round for dinner?‘”

Imagine if this were the norm, not the newsworthy exception, if every stage of life were seen as beautiful, and the passage of time added depth rather than diminishing value.

Will the fashion and beauty industries follow through? Will casting agents, advertisers, and creative directors stop treating older women as niche? The Cal has taken a big step but it cannot stand alone.

As a magazine dedicated to women over 50, we know one thing better than anyone: we don’t just deserve visibility, we deserve celebration and it’s about time the world recognized what happens after 40 and beyond. Beauty is not chronological, it’s experiential.