Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

137 reviews

kennbass's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

hngisreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Pregnancy and Alcohol

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

christinereichard's review

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

It’s obviously not relatable for the average woman, so don't expect it to be. However, her celebrity/model status does not eliminate the complex relationship women have with their bodies. My Body is a nice perspective on modern feminism’s obsession with “empowerment.” My main takeaway: What is empowerment — Feeling sexy & wanted, or actually being put in a position of power? We often confuse it for the former.

 

It’s clear that the people who DNFed this book...well, DNFed it. I see many people saying that her stories are silly because she actively chooses to model and profit off of her body. I'd argue that though the stories follow her own life experiences, the discussion topics are bigger than her as an individual. Even if she chose not to model, these thinking points are still applicable to the modeling industry that ultimately trickles down to our daily media consumption. 

 

The best essay by far was "Buying Back My Body." The others were interesting, but didn't wow me the same. The first two or three essays can put you off the book because she does talk about her youth as a naturally beautiful girl -- Kinda annoying, but like I said above, you have to go in with the expectation of her being unrelatable. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Medical content, and Pregnancy

nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

nosophiesallowed's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

ouch.
this was hard to read but brilliant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

inkdrinkers's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

I saw someone say "the girls that get it, get it, and the girls that don't, don't" and that sums up My Body in such a wonderfully round about way. 

When I heard about this book I was interested in it for multiple reasons: Emily Ratajkowski is a well known model and actress, often looked at as a sex symbol and heralded as a dream woman for a lot of men. I remember, distinctly, a frat guy that I knew in college telling me once that  she was the ultimate girl.

What's important about this is that this set of essays is specifically about the author and her experiences in her own body. She clarifies this up front and from the beginning, she's not setting out to comment on anyone else's experiences but her own. Yes, her lifestyle isn't something many people can relate to, but there's a raw, frenetic energy to the way she writes and slices specific moments from her life - just to lay them out on the page for others to consume.

I really enjoyed all the essays in this book. Though raw and unflinching, and sometimes surface level, they were so interesting and intense to read. She doesn't shy away from moments that others might gloss over or omit entirely and I really loved the anger and fierceness in her voice as the essays transformed towards the end to show a stronger, angrier view. 

I will say that this book contains a lot of triggering material. At the heart its about the consent that was often ripped away from Emily as her body was used as an object in various forms and fashions. Assault is discussed openly and without frills, sometimes nauseating to read about how commonplace it became for her to expect that someone would try to take advantage. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Misogyny, and Sexism

This book details multiple times the author was raped or assaulted. The events are discussed on page in a reflective manner. Some happened as a child and others happened as a young adult. Disordered eating and commentary about bodies is present as the author discusses her experience in the modeling and film industry. Sexism and misogyny towards women are rampant in many instances of the author's past.

arthur_ant18's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

katreads2022's review

3.75

It’s actually pretty well-written. She’s obnoxious and vain and patronizing, though. An honest depiction of the moral quandaries of being, like, really hot which can come across as very entitled and self-serving to us plain-looking plebs.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

kaylinvm94's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault

ceci_cc's review

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

I loved this book, the only thing that I did not like was how often and how quickly she would change subjects or stories. That is something minor but at times it could be slightly confusing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts