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sestout's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Rape, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Body shaming, and Drug use
Minor: Fatphobia, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Infidelity, Eating disorder, and Adult/minor relationship
montsebens's review
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, and Misogyny
Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcohol, Bullying, Body shaming, Chronic illness, and Drug use
Minor: Vomit
sunflowersarepretty's review
3.25
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness, Drug use, Pregnancy, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Vomit, and Emotional abuse
hannibanani29's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Misogyny, Medical content, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cursing, and Sexism
Minor: Eating disorder, Vomit, Infidelity, and Bullying
nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
3.0
“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.”
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Grief, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship
sderrig's review
4.25
Graphic: Body shaming, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Medical content, and Body shaming
leduyhxxng's review
3.0
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.
Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Blood, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
shewantsthediction's review
3.0
In my early 20s, 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.
My first exposure to EmRata was through a 2015 movie she was in with Zac Efron called We Are Your Friends. I remember it specifically because I had no idea who she was, thought she was gorgeous and couldn't unglue my eyes the entire time, and in true bisexual fashion looked her up after it was over. I knew she was a model and on Insta, but that was about the extent of my knowledge.
Fast forward years later and a friend posted about her new book, so I decided to grab it on audio from my library. (Love the typeface on the cover.) It was so interesting getting to know more about her life, because we rarely ever hear real talk from the models on the magazines. I also liked the behind-the-scenes look at the video for "Blurred Lines," which is what catapulted her to stardom in the first place.
There are times when Emily seems to revel in her looks, even to the point of being bitchy, and other times you get a sense of an unhealthy amount of her self-worth and identity having been placed on her looks since childhood, reinforced by her parents and society—so is it really all her fault? The memoir is aptly titled, as it seems her body is the cause of everything good that's happened to her (wealth, fame, stability, a career, name recognition, etc.), but also a a ton of bad (sexual assault, paparazzi, invasion of her privacy, online hate, disrespect from men, etc.). It's a complicated topic, and even though she's rich, successful, and a "sex symbol," I think many women will find it super-relatable because of how honest she is about the battlefield that is her body. I know I did.
My heart ached at her struggle to be taken seriously, as more than just "a pretty face"—which was part of her motivation to write this book. However, I was disappointed that she called out her own privilege several times, often savagely, but never made a move to divest from the systems that made her rich/famous. I think her argument was "I am a cog in the machine and don't have any real power," and while I agree with that to some extent, you can't just point out privilege and leave it at that; you need to take next steps. I hope she gets there someday.
Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Cancer, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Vomit