The bodies in this book have been shaped by the full sweep of the feminine experience. They belong to doctors, lawyers, artists, mothers, professors, performance artists—women from all over the country, ages nineteen to ninety-five, of all ethnicities and life experiences. These are ordinary women only in the sense that none is a professional model. They are in all other ways extraordinary—courageous, curious, thoughtful, speaking unflinchingly about their bodies, then allowing themselves to be photographed to inspire other women to make peace with their physical selves.

Certainly, the feminine nude form is not new to artists and photographers. But the portraits in This Is Who I Am, taken by award-winning photographer Rosanne Olson with a steady, non-judgemental eye speak loudly to the American obsession of feminine perfection—slim hips and full breasts, high cheekbones and tiny waists, taut skin and eternal youth—and even more loudly to the way real women, with real bodies and real lives, look. Each of the striking and classically photographed potraits in this book stands on its own. Looked at together they form a tribute to contemporary womanhood that is by turns tender, personal, and moving. This Is Who I Am goes to the heart of these women's lives. It will touch any mother, wife, or daughter, and any husband, son, or father, too.

Fifty-four portraits of women that are striking, beautiful, and real. The bodies in this book have been shaped by the full sweep of the feminine experience.

They belong to 54 women from all over the country, ages 19 to 95, of all sizes and shapes, ethnicities, and life experiences, who were willing to expose their naked physical forms in This Is Who I Am. They are ordinary women only in the sense that none is a professional model. They are in all other ways extraordinary—courageous, curious, thoughtful, speaking unflinchingly about their bodies, then allowing themselves to be photographed to inspire other women to make peace with their physical selves, "to glorify the real beauty of all women."

Certainly, the feminine nude form is not new to artists and photographers. But the portraits in This Is Who I Am, taken by award-winning photographer Rosanne Olson, with a steady, unjudgmental eye, speak loudly to the American obsession of feminine perfection—slim hips and full breasts, high cheekbones and tiny waists, taut skin and eternal youth—and even more loudly to the way real women, with real bodies and real lives, look.

By turns tender, personal, and moving, this tribute to contemporary womanhood is the perfect gift for mothers to give to daughters, daughters to cousins, cousins to friends.

"This is an absolutely wonderful book. Every woman needs to see it! It has made me feel inspired, exhilarated, normal and beautiful!"
—Kate Winslet

"To be truly healthy, we must come home to our bodies.  This Is Who I Am illuminates the way." -- Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom

"Stunning—such a simple but powerful idea."—Jack Coulehan, MD, Professor of Medicine, State University of New York-Stony Brook

Rosanne Olson is a fine arts and commercial photographer. She has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and teaches workshops on creativity, lighting, and portraiture. Her commercial clients include the New York City Ballet, Seattle Symphony, Boeing, Microsoft, and Hewlett Packard. Her photographs have been exhibited in galleries around the U.S. and have received many awards. She lives in Seattle with her husband.

Publisher: Artisan
Distributor: Workman Publishing Company
Publication Date: 04-01-2008
Pages: 116
Measurements: 11.26in X 7.88in X .69in X 1.69lb