The struggle to feel beautiful in an airbrushed world: More than 150 'normal' women of all shapes and sizes pose naked for project to embrace their bodies

PUBLISHED: 04:58, 23 February 2013 | UPDATED: 06:07, 23 February 2013

In a world where women are bombarded with Photoshopped images of supermodels in magazines and perfectly sculpted specimens on the runway, one photographer has made it his mission to glorify the natural beauty of the naked female body.

Matt Blum, a Minneapolis based photographer, and his wife Katy launched 'The Nu Project' in 2005 and have captured more than 150 women in the buff in the comfort of their own homes.

He asks women to volunteer for the project and shows up at their door, having never seen them before, for the nude photo shoot.

The women are of all colors, shapes and sizes. Participants heard about the project through word of mouth or Craigslist.

'I believe that women are judged more harshly by appearance, and that’s why I’ve focused this project on women,' Blum said in a description of the project on his website. He hopes the experiences encourages women to embrace their shape and not feel ashamed at their bodies.

All women must be 21 years of age to participate and sign a release before the shoot.

'From what I've experienced, 99 per cent of the women who've participated have told me that they saw themselves differently and that they felt more beautiful,' Blum said in a Reddit discussion on the project.

'I got into this work because I didn't like the amount of nude photography that was either focused on a) perfect bodies or b) making women look extremely average just to prove that everyone is average.'

Beauty: Photographer Matt Blum and his wife Katy joined forces to photograph naked women in their element

At ease: He asks women to volunteer for the project and shows up at their door, having never seen them before, for the nude photo shoot

Embrace yourself: The Minneapolis based photographer, launched 'The Nu Project' in 2005 and have captured more than 150 women in the buff in the comfort of their own homes

Calm: The women are of all colors, shapes and sizes. Participants heard about the project through word of mouth or Craigslist

No regrets: 99 per cent of the women who've participated told the photographer that the photo shoot made them feel differently and that they felt more beautiful

Acceptance: The photographer said he started the project because he didn't like the amount of nude photography that was either focused on making a women's body look perfect