[4] Marco Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli's CEO from 1992 to 2022,[5] commented that the purpose of the Cal is "to mark the passing of time" by recording the zeitgeist.

[10] Publication was discontinued after the 1974 issue as an economizing cutback in response to the world recession resulting from the 1973 oil crisis.

[10][12][13] For the first ten years of the calendar's existence, it included photographs of fully clothed women, but an emphasis on nudity developed during the 1980s.

It included Fran Lebowitz, Mellody Hobson, Serena Williams,[19] Yoko Ono and Patti Smith to represent inspiring women of diverse ages[15] in almost entirely clothed portraits.

For the 2018 calendar, photographer Tim Walker chose to feature only black models, including Duckie Thot, Adwoa Aboah, RuPaul, Whoopi Goldberg, and Thando Hopa.

[23] Over the years, the models and celebrities who have appeared in it include Alessandra Ambrosio,[24] Bianca Balti, Ana Beatriz Barros,[24] Malgosia Bela, Elsa Benítez,[24] Mariacarla Boscono (3), Lauren Bush, Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Campbell (5), Gracie Carvalho,[24] Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford, Emanuela de Paula,[24] Waris Dirie, Yamila Díaz, Lily Donaldson, Isabeli Fontana (8), Magdalena Frackowiak, Saskia de Brauw, Sonny Freeman Drane, Gigi Hadid, Duckie Thot, Bridget Hall, Filippa Hamilton, Miranda Kerr,[24] Karlie Kloss, Heidi Klum, Karolína Kurková (3), Noémie Lenoir, Adriana Lima[24] (3), Daisy Lowe, Angela Lindvall, Lakshmi Menon, Kate Moss (3), Petra Nemcová, Sasha Pivovarova, Natasha Poly, Frankie Rayder, Coco Rocha, RuPaul, Anja Rubik, Joan Smalls, Lara Stone (3), Fernanda Tavares, Caroline Trentini, Christy Turlington, Guinevere Van Seenus, Edita Vilkeviciute, Natalia Vodianova (5), Alek Wek (3), Daria Werbowy and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

[24] Actresses: Patricia Arquette, Nadja Auermann, Monica Bellucci, Selma Blair, Laetitia Casta[6] (3), Jessica Chastain, Yao Chen,[2] Maggie Cheung,[17] Aurélie Claudel, Lily Cole, Rachael Leigh Cook, Penélope Cruz,[24] Lou Doillon, Julia Garner,[6] Whoopi Goldberg, Shalom Harlow, Neith Hunter, Milla Jovovich, Nicole Kidman, James King, Nastassja Kinski, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Doutzen Kroes, Jennifer Lopez,[24] Sophia Loren, Audrey Marnay, Sienna Rose Miller, Julianne Moore, Bridget Moynahan, Brittany Murphy, Carolyn Murphy, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlotte Rampling, Eva Riccobono, Amy Schumer, Elisa Sednaoui, Léa Seydoux, Jenny Shimizu, Amy Smart, Julia Stiles, Hilary Swank, Uma Thurman, Ai Tominaga, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, Robin Wright, and Zhang Ziyi.

[30] In the trend of the MeToo movement and Weinstein effect, the Cal 2019 by Albert Watson[n 4] featured Laetitia Casta in lingerie without teasing nudity.