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macncheese_pdf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Cancer, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
theyellowbrickreader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Rape
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death of parent
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…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
charliebee23's review
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
I appreciate the perspective Ratajkowski offers on her life. I loved her conversational, honest, vulnerable, and witty tone. She hit the nail on the head on how to talk about such difficult topics, and it added so much to her narratives on modeling culture, social media, what it means to be conventionally attractive, the dynamics that creates with powerful men, as well as her thoughtful descriptions of her relationships with other women. Her pieces on the art that's been created of her image were especially powerful, and rightfully upsetting. I wouldn't call this an easy read, but being a woman in the patriarchy isn't easy either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming and Eating disorder
Minor: Death of parent
* I don't know if her mother has died, but she discusses her illness in depth.krissyyne's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
"I thought of my mother's belief that spaces hold memories, that walls take on meaning, that homes become a part of us, just as people do. I imagined her, young and strong, in all the rooms she had known. I wondered whether the more I became a woman and the more space I occupied apart from her, the more she would deteriorate."
Emily Ratajkowski is not someone I knew well before reading this book. I had first heard of her when she chose to raise her (now son, as I understand) as someone with they/them pronouns. It was an interesting thing to hear, especially as she was the first major person I'd heard of doing something like that. Her status as a model, though, was what made me follow her. It's what made me follow Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and a slew of lesser known models whose posts I ate up while simultaneously wondering why I couldn't look like that.
I think her book is fascinating. In a world where models are both rewarded and villainized for their beauty, Emily seeks to explain the enigma behind being famous for her body. From her mother to friends to employers, being "beautiful" - a standard, palpable beautiful - was paramount. It gave Emily rewards in the form of validation and attention from older men and women. But it also came with unchecked pain as that attention devolved into (TW!!!) occurrences of stalking, rape, and sexual assault. It provided people with the ability to write her off, because her looks stereotyped her as dumb and unworldly.
I admire Emily. I admire her courage for writing what she did. It is no easy feat to bare yourself, physically and emotionally, on a public forum for people to encourage or disparage you as they wish. Her book, while maybe not the cleanest writing I've ever read, is brave and provides insight into the possible mindsights of models in a way I've never thought to think about before.
Emily Ratajkowski is not someone I knew well before reading this book. I had first heard of her when she chose to raise her (now son, as I understand) as someone with they/them pronouns. It was an interesting thing to hear, especially as she was the first major person I'd heard of doing something like that. Her status as a model, though, was what made me follow her. It's what made me follow Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and a slew of lesser known models whose posts I ate up while simultaneously wondering why I couldn't look like that.
I think her book is fascinating. In a world where models are both rewarded and villainized for their beauty, Emily seeks to explain the enigma behind being famous for her body. From her mother to friends to employers, being "beautiful" - a standard, palpable beautiful - was paramount. It gave Emily rewards in the form of validation and attention from older men and women. But it also came with unchecked pain as that attention devolved into (TW!!!) occurrences of stalking, rape, and sexual assault. It provided people with the ability to write her off, because her looks stereotyped her as dumb and unworldly.
I admire Emily. I admire her courage for writing what she did. It is no easy feat to bare yourself, physically and emotionally, on a public forum for people to encourage or disparage you as they wish. Her book, while maybe not the cleanest writing I've ever read, is brave and provides insight into the possible mindsights of models in a way I've never thought to think about before.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Body shaming, Drug use, and Stalking
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