Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
dark
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
I came across this book from interview Suki Waterhouse and Emily. This was definitely an interesting read. I would even say it’s in my top 5 of this year (it’s March and I only read 13 books)
I loved how everything was coming back together to My Body. I found it really interesting reflective memoir that is rarely boring, although Emrata is for me a complete stranger.
I liked depiction of how through the years her body was met with different kind of hurt and then blessings. It’s really hard to be a woman. Especially when everyone is watching, judging you. More places should be like that spa. And less asshole men on our, women’s path.
Really strong woman.
I loved how everything was coming back together to My Body. I found it really interesting reflective memoir that is rarely boring, although Emrata is for me a complete stranger.
I liked depiction of how through the years her body was met with different kind of hurt and then blessings. It’s really hard to be a woman. Especially when everyone is watching, judging you. More places should be like that spa. And less asshole men on our, women’s path.
Really strong woman.
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
It was beautiful and transformative and eye-opening. Thank you for expressing your complexity. Makes the world so much better than the black and white half-truths out there in social media.
This was a book I was genuinely, truly impressed by, and one that I cannot begin to recommend to all.
I was never a fan of Emily Ratajkowski - to me, she embodied the objectification of women and I felt like she revelled in that power. Man, was I wrong to judge her for it.
She discusses, in arguably the most articulate way, the unwanted objectivity of women vs. the choice of a woman to use her body for power. She discusses the cognitive dissonance she felt when craving other’s validation and wanting to take control of her own body. It resonated with me on so many levels, I’ve never felt more respect for an author.
“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 the 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.”
Powerful book.
I was never a fan of Emily Ratajkowski - to me, she embodied the objectification of women and I felt like she revelled in that power. Man, was I wrong to judge her for it.
She discusses, in arguably the most articulate way, the unwanted objectivity of women vs. the choice of a woman to use her body for power. She discusses the cognitive dissonance she felt when craving other’s validation and wanting to take control of her own body. It resonated with me on so many levels, I’ve never felt more respect for an author.
“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 the 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.”
Powerful book.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Emily Ratajkowski’s My Body discussed a subset of our world I’ve rarely noticed. That is, the benefits and consequences of operating as a culturally stunningly beautiful person. Some themes seemed more universal, but all were eye opening and saddening, maddening, and often uplifting thoughts and stories as Ratajkowski shared her growth as a woman practicing use of her voice for defense of self. I also liked her perspective on herself and how that view changed into a stronger person throughout her journey.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I enjoyed listening to Emily’s story. I related to the part where she discussed dissociation, and your body not feeling like your own. I felt a lot of sadness for her. The audiobook was a bit monotone.
Spoiler
3.75/5I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this. The writing is good and the stories she has to tell are interesting. She only slips up a few times in attributing her experiences (as a conventionally attractive well off white woman) to that of all women; she’s good at speaking from the I. Her lack of passion for modeling yet comfort with posing and being nude is interesting and sort of likeable. Of course most readers can agree that Buying Myself Back is probably the best chapter- there was a reason it was published first. But I also really liked Men Like You as a close second, followed by K Spa and the Woozies. I also really liked how the essays were not chronological but how it was really easy to figure out where you were and how seamless the transitions were.
My main issues were the suspected lack of acknowledgement of her positionality at times (in terms of her lack identity), but at other times she is aware so I’m sort of mixed about how many times I feel like she needs to acknowledge this.
Mainly, I really did not like the way she spoke about her wealth or lack of thereof compared to her peers. I fully realize that I don’t know the ins and outs of her upbringing and financial situation so of course take this with a grain of salt, but as someone who grew up around people way wealthier than myself, I’m super attuned to cues of wealth (or lack of thereof). Like she emphasizes heavily how her parents were teachers, but her dad DID teach at a private school in southern California. Most readers would see “teachers” and move on, assuming those salaries are low but that often isn’t the case at a costal private school. She emphasizes how her house was creaky and the walls didn’t go up all the way but the house had character and many unique assets, which is more of a positive than a negative, contrary to her opinion. I would be very surprised if the value of the home was below 800k today. Just some guesses. I understand how it feels to be surrounded by people much richer than yourself even when you’re an upper middle class person to begin with; when you’re young you forget the second part but as you grow up you should start to remember. She, as an adult, should acknowledge that more and as someone who grew up similarly, it reads bratty.
When she gets older, there is a chapter about how her and her husband are sent on a paid trip to a luxurious island resort to take insta photos. She and her husband separate themselves from the other people at the resort because she is working. Like. I’m sorry. She takes a few photos *on* the trip. That’s barely work. And she thinks she’s so humble because she isn’t paying for the trip???? She’s THERE. The people on the trip don’t see her as any different from one of them. I forget which chapter that was but wow was that tone deaf. The woman’s net worth is $8 MILLION dollars. You’re not POOR, EMILY. Your home is worth over $2mil, and that’s just the California one. There is also a Noho apartment. I did my research because I just had a FEELING she was better off than what was disclosed.
I really don’t want to judge a female writer on likeability, but this is a series of autobiographical essays, no? I don’t find her the most likeable but in most cases I don’t think it takes away from her writing except when she lacks perspective about her position in the world. For the most part, the rawness of this book is not shallow at all. And she’s a beautiful writer. This is a good series of essays solidly but not revolutionary.