Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

54 reviews

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

I've been living under a rock for years and did not know who Emily Ratajkowski was before I started seeing this book pop up in the TBRs and wrap ups of booktubers I watch. I went into this hearing her be described as the "Blurred Lines" girl and walked out of the book knowing she is so much more. Ratajkowski writes so vulnerably about her experiences working in the modeling industry, how her body has been bought and sold - most of the time without her consent, how she marvels at the wonderful things her body can do to her (i.e. the birth of her son), and how it can make people think they know all about who she is based on what she looks like. 

I think this memoir does a beautiful job of stomping on the narrative that no matter what a woman looks like, it doesn't give them more power. Ratajkowski cites a quote by Halle Berry: "My looks have spared me no hardship." She's RIGHT. Your looks do not protect you from abuse at the hands of men and patriarchal norms in society. It's so insidious to go around believing that beautiful women don't have problems simply because they are beautiful. 

Anyway - that was a tangent, back to what I thought...

There were sections listening to this audiobook where I flat out cried, especially when at times, Ratajkowski herself, narrating the book, would get choked up herself. I wanted to hug this woman every time that happened. It felt extremely intimate to listen to her read her own words.

Additionally, Emily Ratajkowski's writing is beautiful. The pictures she paints with her words are both lovely and grotesque, they can be joyful or heartbreaking, but they are consistently vivid. I will definitely be adding anything else she writes to my TBR. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death and Eating disorder

citrinuke's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

radiodarkblue's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.0

I knew Emily Ratajkowski without knowing who she was to be honest, I knew that she was a model and that was kinda of all. Though I was intrigued to read this book after I saw a few reviews and I'm so glad I did it. It was really hard to read sometimes, Emily went through such traumas. I loved how you feel her empowerment through her words. The care and love she uses when she talks about her younger self really moved, you really feel how being independent was her primary goal in life. 
But what I loved the most are the moments when she talks about her body and women, they really impacted me a lot. 
I'm glad this book exists, because even though I don't know anything about the modeling industry I can only guess that this book revels a lot of how fucked up this industry is towards women. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, and Alcohol

lilaw's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

krissyyne's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

 "I thought of my mother's belief that spaces hold memories, that walls take on meaning, that homes become a part of us, just as people do. I imagined her, young and strong, in all the rooms she had known. I wondered whether the more I became a woman and the more space I occupied apart from her, the more she would deteriorate." 

Emily Ratajkowski is not someone I knew well before reading this book. I had first heard of her when she chose to raise her (now son, as I understand) as someone with they/them pronouns. It was an interesting thing to hear, especially as she was the first major person I'd heard of doing something like that. Her status as a model, though, was what made me follow her. It's what made me follow Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and a slew of lesser known models whose posts I ate up while simultaneously wondering why I couldn't look like that.

I think her book is fascinating. In a world where models are both rewarded and villainized for their beauty, Emily seeks to explain the enigma behind being famous for her body. From her mother to friends to employers, being "beautiful" - a standard, palpable beautiful - was paramount. It gave Emily rewards in the form of validation and attention from older men and women. But it also came with unchecked pain as that attention devolved into (TW!!!) occurrences of stalking, rape, and sexual assault. It provided people with the ability to write her off, because her looks stereotyped her as dumb and unworldly.

I admire Emily. I admire her courage for writing what she did. It is no easy feat to bare yourself, physically and emotionally, on a public forum for people to encourage or disparage you as they wish. Her book, while maybe not the cleanest writing I've ever read, is brave and provides insight into the possible mindsights of models in a way I've never thought to think about before. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Stalking

celevstial's review against another edition

I think the issues discussed here are so important, and Emily Ratajkowski is fantastic at describing her experiences and ideas, but it's a bit too heavy for my current mental state to handle and I'd prefer to pick up something more easygoing. I'm definitely planning on returning in the future, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Alcohol

hesterclark's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Drug use

opossumom's review against another edition

informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

i love the conversations had about beauty as currency, capitalism, and empowerment, but i felt like the talks about money were insincere and unselfaware. I'm not sure i can stand to hear about the struggles of a suburban, middle-class upbringing without rolling my eyes. other than that, this book was very insightful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Terminal illness

ymorii's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts

leduyhxxng's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

3.0

My body is a valiant effort towards loving by Emily Ratajkowski—loving her body, and by such means opening more constructive dialogues with her self.

In the twelve very personal essays, we can begin to see Emily's stories and the power dynamics that shape modelling. Yet her writing feels rather erratic, sparse in some places and rushed in others, failing at times to connect the thematic thread that Emily herself set out. This is most unfortunate because there are unquestioningly a lot of details and images—beautifully brought out in the essay collection—that feel particularly powerful in the context of her story, but were never adequately explored.

I admire Emily's effort to love through the writing of My Body. My two favourite essays are 'Pamela' and 'Releases'. They were brilliantly written (especially 'Releases,' the final essay of the book), and feel vulnerable and honest. Other essays either feel like the honesty is somehow choking her, the writing indelicate and forced thus choking us as readers, or throwing suppressed anger at other people (which makes it quite awkward to read). But the vulnerability makes you stay, and love Emily Ratajkowski even more for taking the step.

I was fairly let down by both the writing and storytelling of the book. Then again, I greatly admire the effort to find love.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Drug abuse

Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, and Suicide attempt