Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - My Body

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.

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inkdrinkers's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

I saw someone say "the girls that get it, get it, and the girls that don't, don't" and that sums up My Body in such a wonderfully round about way.

When I heard about this book I was interested in it for multiple reasons: Emily Ratajkowski is a well known model and actress, often looked at as a sex symbol and heralded as a dream woman for a lot of men. I remember, distinctly, a frat guy that I knew in college telling me once that she was the ultimate girl.

What's important about this is that this set of essays is specifically about the author and her experiences in her own body. She clarifies this up front and from the beginning, she's not setting out to comment on anyone else's experiences but her own. Yes, her lifestyle isn't something many people can relate to, but there's a raw, frenetic energy to the way she writes and slices specific moments from her life - just to lay them out on the page for others to consume.

I really enjoyed all the essays in this book. Though raw and unflinching, and sometimes surface level, they were so interesting and intense to read. She doesn't shy away from moments that others might gloss over or omit entirely and I really loved the anger and fierceness in her voice as the essays transformed towards the end to show a stronger, angrier view.

I will say that this book contains a lot of triggering material. At the heart its about the consent that was often ripped away from Emily as her body was used as an object in various forms and fashions. Assault is discussed openly and without frills, sometimes nauseating to read about how commonplace it became for her to expect that someone would try to take advantage.

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arthur_ant18's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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sophieskilling's review against another edition

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3.0

i really liked her writing style, and a lot of the essays i found really interesting. i’m not sure all of them were needed, sometimes it felt like she was building up to a point that she never made, and i am begging her to think critically about her relationship with food instead of just stating multiples times that she didn’t eat with no extra comment on that (???) but overall enjoyed and am glad i read

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becca_warren's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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libraryofbooks's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

3.75

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gteng's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative reflective tense fast-paced

3.25

Overall, a book that makes you reflect upon the way our society treats women in entertainment industries like modelling and acting. I think where the book fell a little flat for me is that at times Emily doesn't seem to recognize or reflect on the privilege that she has.

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