Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

20 reviews

caroisreading's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

I wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to read Emily Ratajkowski's memoir. I know her as Emrata, a very surface-level idea of her persona. She wrote from this perspective, and deeply reflects from this perspective -- I'm known as the sexy model who has collected a following, but is my influence truly power if defined by capitalism, defined by men?

My heart broke over and over with every sexual assault, every moment stolen by older men. She writes beautifully and simply about her body as something she's detached from. She's commoditized the male gaze, its own form of power, but even that is taken away from her. The traumatic detail she has to share is needed, in a world that doesn't want to listen to her more than look. 

This was hard material to read through, though I'm glad I did, to see more reality, and less posturing that's fed to us through celebrity. Emily is a survivor, and I appreciate her words and reflection. Looking forward to reading more from her!

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ferdie's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

5.0

My body explores feminine bodies and how women are dis/connected to them. Emily Ratajkowski writes beautifully and I cannot recommend the audio book enough. Her voice gave an emotional tone that could be missed or weakened in a read through, especially for a subject that is often scholar-ized. 

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lalalauren20's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

4.25

I think this is the feminist book all women should be reading right now. I respect this woman so much. Speaking her truth and carving an outlet for other women to speak their truths too. This book is heavy. I was blé to empathize with this woman and I saw parallels with the objectification of women just normally but emphasized in modeling. This book was a real story from someone who is more than just a body. 

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helenamichelle's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0


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doodeedoda's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.5


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nicolecier's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

4.0


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nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

Speechless. I’ll let the quotes speak for themselves….

“I want to calculate my beauty to protect myself, to understand exactly how much power and lovability I have.”

“I liked to tell friends that the French word for model is mannequin. “So,” I’d say, shrugging, “I’m a mannequin for a living.”

“As the number on my scale went down, the number on my checks had been going up. The agency had taken notice.”

“In my early twenties, it had never occurred to me that the women who gained their power from beauty were indebted to the men whose desire granted them that power in the first place. Those men were the ones in control, not the women the world fawned over. Facing the reality of dynamics at play would have meant admitting how limited my power really was—how limited any woman’s power is when she survives and even succeeds in the world as a thing to be looked at.”

“The stylist, their assistant, the client or the editor, the other models, and sometimes the photographer will stand right in front of you and wait as you strip. You understand that your body is a means for them to accomplish what they’re here to accomplish: to make an image to sell whatever it is they’re selling. They’re in charge of it now, not you. Now hand it over, they seem to say. Your body is why you’re here and we need it. Now.”

“I look down at my body and it doesn’t  feel like my own. It feels like something, but not me. They can look at me all they want, because they’re right; my body is just a tool.” 

“The world celebrates and rewards women who are chosen by powerful men.” 

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hannakutlu's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced

2.5


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dhutton1997's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

Read TW before reading this book. 
This was a fantastic book that delved into what a woman’s body and mind is worth without the opportunities brought to them through a patriarchal society. 

My only critique of this book is that Ratajkowski seemed to liken herself as “not rich” like the billionaires she meets. However, she does have a lot of money and will be able to live comfortably if she chooses to do so. I wish she would have acknowledged that aspect of her privilege. 

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amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

4.0

autobiography of a famous female model. She discusses her relationship to her body and how society and modeling have shaped it.

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