Female Beauty

Sophia Loren, the Italy’s sexiest septuagenarian who was recently voted for the world’s most naturally beautiful person, has become the world’s oldest pin-up girl by stripping off for the 2007 Pirelli calendar. The actress, who was in sultry mode for the shoot, is the oldest model ever to be featured in the famous calendar’s 42-year history. The promotional photographs released by the Italian tyre-maker show last week in London, in the black and white portrait, Loren lying on a bed in her slinky, see-through black dress.

Speaking at a press conference in London, Loren revealed, she “had a lot of fun, like a young girl” during the June photo shoot. She said, “When they asked me to do it, I laughed a lot at first. I was a bit scared and asked lots of questions - what sort of photos would they be? But then I thought, ‘Who cares? I’m doing it’.” Loren has always been a respected actress; she remains the only Italian-born actor to have conquered Hollywood, and awarded an Oscar for lifetime achievements, and she has appeared in more than 100 films in her 50-year career. 

The tasteful black-and-white portraits, shot in California by Dutch fashion photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, are a demure departure from Pirelli’s often risque pin-ups of some of the world’s most sensual women. In the latest calendar, the 72-year-old, Sophia Loren, who won an Oscar in 1960 for the Italian wartime drama La Ciociara (Two Women), appears alongside younger beauties Penelope Cruz, Naomi Watts, and American Oscar-winner Hilary Swank. While Kate Moss posed topless, Jennifer Lopez and Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen appeared in this year’s calendar. The Pirelli calendar, reserved for Pirelli’s VIP and celebrity customers, was launched as a promotional tool in 1964 and quickly became one of the most coveted commissions for top models and celebrity photographers.

Last month, Sophia Loren also made big news when she did not get any invitation to the RomaCinemaFest, La Stampa newspaper ran a front-page headline: “La Loren Furiosa.” But Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni said, “We had already decided to make Sophia Loren the star of the second edition of the festival, so there should be no controversy. We didn’t invite her this year because we hoped she would be the guest of honor next year, just as Sean Connery was this time.” According to Hollywood Reporter, Loren confirmed in a statement that she would be “honored and pleased” to play a central role in next year’s festival. Loren’s decision to accept the invitation for the second RomaCinemaFest had been the subject of speculation for several days, ever since Italian Parliament member Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of Italy’s fascist dictator and Loren’s niece, blasted festival organizers for excluding the actress.

Sophia Loren is a sex symbol, has always been sexy and gorgeous, a sophisticated, real woman; a role model for all women. No matter how old she is, she will always be the number one idol. Speaking of her decision to pose for the Pirelli calendar Loren said: “You have to be decisive when you want to do something you want and something that you have maybe wanted to do for some time.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006 at 5:08 pm and is filed under Beauty, Career, Celebrity News, Entertainment, Fashion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.