Adriana Lima has insisted that her revealing Pirelli calendar photo shoot is ''art''.

The 33-year-old Victoria's Secret model has posed alongside the likes of Gigi Hadid, Candice Huffine, Carolyn Murphy and Isabeli Fontana in a sexy calendar shoot for Pirelli, shot by world renowned photographer Steven Meisel.

Regarding the avant garde leather-look outfits they wore on set, Adriana has hit out at critics who deemed the look as sexist.

She said: ''I was so happy with my latex outfit! I love it! I'm sorry! We're making art, it's not like you're going to be walking around the street with latex on. It's art you know? That's how I see it.

''For me the Pirelli Calendar stands for women: embracing themselves, embracing their body, being comfortable and strong.''

Talking to the Daily Telegraph newspaper about baring flesh in the sexy latex body suits, plus-sized model Candice, 30, explained: ''The exciting thing about the calendar is that it celebrates the woman in all shapes and forms. When you love your body and you're proud of it you feel OK to strip down. You feel really sexy and that you're embracing everything that a female body should be and you want to show the world how happy you are.''

Carolyn, 40, then added: ''I think it's very important that it's not just the stereotypical tits and ass, and there is plenty of that, but the way that Steven captured it was a little bit more intellectual. All of the girls are very different shapes, sizes, ethnicities and ages.''

The youngest of the group, 19-year-old model Gigi, also explained that she was honoured to take part in the risqué shoot. She said: ''I felt like a superhero in my outfit, and that's the energy I brought to my picture, I felt powerful and like a lady boss.''