Nude portrait series brainchild of Toronto photographer

A nude portrait series shot by a Toronto photographer has garnered worldwide attention for its body-positive message and unflinching take on the female form. Launched last week by Jennifer Toole and Australian actress Caitlin Stasey, Herself features photos of women of all sizes, ages, ethnicities, and gender expressions.

"Herself is a gesture to women for women by women, a chance to witness the female form in all its honesty without the burden of the male gaze, without the burden of appealing to anyone," Stasey writes on the site. Alongside each photo series, visitors will find candid interviews with each of the women on topics like religion, puberty, sexual orientation, and their own bodies, upping the intimacy of each photo series further.

The portraits (all currently shot by Toole, and many of which feature women from the Toronto area) are compelling odes to the female form; subjects are shot in a variety of settings - in nature, on apartment balconies, in photo studios - but are all visibly at ease with themselves and their bodies, creating a body of work that's both empowering and illuminating. Check it out at herself.com (link NSFW).