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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Untouched portraits, touching stories:
_This Is Who I Am_ captures a true portrait of the feminine experience where women yearn to make peace with their bodies while living in a society that constantly wages a war against them. Although the 54 women featured in this book are of all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, shapes and sizes, they all share the courage to expose both their inner and outer secrets. From the 29-year old who once struggled with anorexia and is now trying to reclaim her body, to the 35 year old who has learned to become... more info
A great book all should read it.:
Being a semi retired photographer and a former medical tech. I say Ms. Olson hit the nail on the head. This book is an anthology of how women see them selfs and to awaken the people of the world that we all need to take time to appreciate our own bodies and when looking at others to look deeper than the surface and don't be so judgemental. The media has put pressure on both men and women that you must look like this or your not worth anything.
I have photographed both men and women clad an unclad and... more info
Wide appeal:
This is a lovely book that will appeal to many, especially to women aware of or working on body-image issues. The wide range of ages (up to age 95) and body types, as well as each woman's text that accompanies the photo, help create the wide appeal. A photographer-friend loved how well the photos capture the unique beauty of each woman. The short personal vignettes bring up wide-ranging body issues including self-esteem, health, strength, and outer vs inner beauty. When the book arrived, my daughter (age... more info
Real women, real beauty:
That model on the cover, Dana, could you ever believe that she has doubts about her loveliness? Her brief blurb about herself sounds far less than certain about the incredible beauty of a perfectly ordinary woman like her. That is a crime and a tragedy, one that this collection confronts directly. The models range from 19 to 95, with every decade between represented. Constance, age 80, peers back at the viewer with an elfin smile. Kia, at 37, stares off with a gaze that seems far older than her face... more info
