Reviews tagging 'Grief'

My Body by Emily Ratajkowski

6 reviews

jessiejonesbentley's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Grief, Sexism, Rape, Sexual violence, Stalking, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Alcohol

geesammy's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

2.25

I was told this was inspiringly self aware, but I feel it was depressingly self indulgent.  Perhaps it’s the difference in generation, in ethnic background or in sense of privilege, but I found many of these stories disturbing in their depiction of a shallow girl with no common sense.  How can someone be so self absorbed and have such little self awareness or self worth?   It’s baffling and sad; I feel like she wrote this to convince herself and the world that she is a “real person” and not just an image, and yet the only thing she seems to value is her image…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

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: 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

raynaaskiverr's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Pregnancy, Grief, Eating disorder, and Body shaming

celevstial's review

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

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

leduyhxxng's review

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: 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