Butt too big. Breasts too small. Hips too full. Too skinny. Wrinkles too visible. Legs too short. Breasts too large.

The self-criticisms by women photographed in the nude have a universal quality in these days of constant media assault by perfect female bodies (often digitally enhanced). But the surprise of a powerful book by Seattle photographer Rosanne Olson is that many of the harsh self-criticisms come from women who appear to have little reason to complain.

Consider Jessica, 23, with long blond hair and a lithe body. Jessica wishes she could change her smallish breasts and her imperfect stomach, but concedes, "We women think we're either too fat or too skinny, that we aren't what we wish we were."

Ms. Olson's This Is Who I Am: Our Beauty in All Shapes and Sizes (Artisan, $26) is a slim volume that aims to change those criticisms.

Its revealing photographs and startling interviews portray women's dissatisfaction with their bodies, often born during young womanhood. But the book also offers a persuasive argument for greater acceptance and compassion for one's own body as well as those of others.

The women ranged in age from 16 to 95 and represented many shapes, races and areas of the country.

Ms. Olson took time to establish rapport before photographing them. Her vehicle for that was a probing questionnaire that later served as a basis for the text accompanying the portraits.

The first question was, "What do you love about your body?" As Ms. Olson recalls, "Most women found this difficult to answer."

The women's answers were brutally honest, sometimes shocking, frequently heart-rending.

Candace, 52, told about being a survivor of incest. ("You don't get over it. It colors your whole life.")

Sabrina, 43, told how her supportive family never criticized her bounteous size and how having breast-reduction surgery made a huge difference.

Ms. Olson believes the book's impact comes more from the text than the photos, which seldom suggest what the accompanying text reveals, reflecting instead a disconnect between body and image.

"Being supercritical, even when I exercise, I always wonder if my butt is too big," Ms. Olson says. "And being very petite, people often look askance at you because you are short, so I have had to realize that you can pack as much personality into 5 feet as taller people can. Working with these women helped me become more compassionate with myself."

Our Beauty in All Shapes and Sizes

Rosanne Olson

(Artisan, $26)