Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

9 reviews

candournat's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcohol, Addiction, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Pregnancy

hngisreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Body shaming

Moderate: Alcohol and Pregnancy

Minor: Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Addiction, and Drug abuse

pabi's review

emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Medical content

Moderate: Alcohol and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Drug use and Addiction

ntvenessa's review

challenging reflective medium-paced

2.5

Fascinating and incisive, but doesn't push quite far enough. Ratajkowski distills so well what it means to capitalise off your image by leveraging the male gaze. There are power dynamics and tension underlying her relationship with her own body as a result of selling her image in a landscape where beauty is defined by a white, cis-hetero patriarchy. This collection of essays is deeply personal and generous, although the temporal context is sometimes confusing to follow. There does some to be a deliberate shying away from what her work means to other women, especially young girls, who are subject to the beauty standards she reinforces. This shortsightedness is laid in stark contrast with the tenacity and heart found unmistakably in the rest of her essays, particularly in her evolving relationship with her body in the context of feminism and empowerment. I really enjoyed the tender and wise reflections on her youth and how mixed messaging around her body impacted how she saw herself. However, it seems a shame not to explore further how she herself is complicit in upholding the beauty standards that have both trapped her and lent her power (although as she writes, it is only power as bestowed on her by men and not true empowerment). I suppose when you are still capitalising off the very same system, it pays to flirt around these broader notions and keep the narrative tightly focused on the matter at hand -- and she does it well. I'd be keen to see a memoir after she leaves the industry.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Body shaming, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Colonisation, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Fatphobia

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Addiction, and Suicide attempt

plantsandpints's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Rape, and Suicide

samarakroeger's review

reflective medium-paced

4.0

I felt seen in several ways by this book despite our lives being pretty different.  the guilt and shame ... very relatable 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Alcohol, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Misogyny, Addiction, Cancer, and Medical trauma

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

Moderate: Death and Eating disorder

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

Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, Death, and Drug use

lilaw's review

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

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