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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
This was so cringe inducing, beginning with how she is objectified as a pretty young girl, her interactions with her mother, and learning of all the disgusting things professional models deal with in their work. Though I don’t know if there were any big takeaways, it was a fascinating bit of food for thought on how society is built to objectify women.
I had no expectations of this book. I knew who Emily Ratajkowski was (who doesn't though?), but I had only heard about it once others started sharing positive reviews. With those reviews being my only knowledge of the book itself, I entered into a two month long waitlist for a copy from the library.
I expected the book to focus on Emrata's body, clearly, although the thoughts, feelings, and stories expressed throughout were more than I had ever anticipated. I was unaware just how comforting it would be to hear another woman, an absolutely flawless model at that, explain their complicated feelings towards the consumption of their own body. Emily expresses how she felt that her perceived societal value and it's appreciation for her appearance is what should dictate her thoughts, feelings, and actions with the world that surrounds it. Emily takes us through her thoughts over multiple years of her life from adolescence up until the birth of her child in 2020.
There was far more here for me to relate to than I ever could have expected from a world renowned supermodel, from the awareness of the prevalence of the male gaze to struggling to determine what acts and behaviours were feminist or anti-feminist. Should one enjoy their body and having it exposed or it that merely pandering to the lowest common denominator? Could it be both? Or neither?
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It's endlessly amusing to peruse other reviews of this book, all claiming that Emrata cannot be a 'real writer' as she's 'just a pretty face'. Or blaming her for agreeing to straightforward business transactions that led to her being objectified, fondled, groped, or experiencing a vindictive male attempting to defame her.
It's almost like they didn't read a single page of the book.
I expected the book to focus on Emrata's body, clearly, although the thoughts, feelings, and stories expressed throughout were more than I had ever anticipated. I was unaware just how comforting it would be to hear another woman, an absolutely flawless model at that, explain their complicated feelings towards the consumption of their own body. Emily expresses how she felt that her perceived societal value and it's appreciation for her appearance is what should dictate her thoughts, feelings, and actions with the world that surrounds it. Emily takes us through her thoughts over multiple years of her life from adolescence up until the birth of her child in 2020.
There was far more here for me to relate to than I ever could have expected from a world renowned supermodel, from the awareness of the prevalence of the male gaze to struggling to determine what acts and behaviours were feminist or anti-feminist. Should one enjoy their body and having it exposed or it that merely pandering to the lowest common denominator? Could it be both? Or neither?
------
It's endlessly amusing to peruse other reviews of this book, all claiming that Emrata cannot be a 'real writer' as she's 'just a pretty face'. Or blaming her for agreeing to straightforward business transactions that led to her being objectified, fondled, groped, or experiencing a vindictive male attempting to defame her.
It's almost like they didn't read a single page of the book.
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
really made me change my perspective on the world of modeling. i'll admit that i held some of the preconceived notions about models like Em Rata that she described constantly coming up against in this book. very hard to hear about all of the horrible things she's experienced while trying to make a living. glad she wrote this book to change some false assumptions about models and share her own experience in the industry.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book. Emily was self-reflexive, thoughtful, and showed a commitment to personal growth as a function of societal growth. There were times I wish she had integrated more of the scholarship that undergirds these discussions, but I know this wasn’t an academic book. Overall, this exceeded my expectations, and made me consider ways my experiences align (or diverge) from Emily’s, and what that means for me.
I really liked listening to the audiobook, it was powerful to hear her words in her voice. If hell exists, Jonathan Leder will go there.
I wished desperately for her to push her thinking a little further, to think about how she might be complicit in the very systems that have done her so dirty. This book is a funny mix of vulnerable & powerful introspection and a total failure to look outward. She made the same (powerful) point over and over about how her/women’s bodies are commodified, and by the end it felt redundant. However I really appreciate and respect how vulnerable and honest she was and overall really enjoyed listening to this over the last few days.
I wished desperately for her to push her thinking a little further, to think about how she might be complicit in the very systems that have done her so dirty. This book is a funny mix of vulnerable & powerful introspection and a total failure to look outward. She made the same (powerful) point over and over about how her/women’s bodies are commodified, and by the end it felt redundant. However I really appreciate and respect how vulnerable and honest she was and overall really enjoyed listening to this over the last few days.
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Drug use, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria