Scan barcode
verybooksessed's review against another edition
5.0
emily ratajkowski delivers a reflective account on the plight of women in a toxic, capitalistic and objectifying culture through a collection of personal essays.
these essays circle around feminism, misogyny, power dynamics in the modeling industry and self-discovery. they're musings of a woman who spent years trying to push the narrative of using her body as a symbol of female empowerment, only to be hit with the realization that, no matter what, her worth will be measured by the burden of an adam's apple.
a quote that stood out to me was when emily proclaims that,
"women who gained power from beauty were indebted to the men whose desire granted them that power in the first place", which is actually jarring because that is the unfortunate truth. this lead to emily's quest to gulp down all feelings of self-blame and resentment, and reclaim herself.
in terms of how relatable the novel is, i wouldn't say that it
'opened' my eyes in any way, which is almost sad to admit because i found that emily's words were confirming what we have always known to be true to this day and age: male domination prevails in most aspects and fields of society.
while there are no "answers", her essays do not fail to pose thoughtful questions through her vulnerability and unmistakable tone of defiance. i'm honestly impressed by her impeccable writing and beautiful prose. a novel worth reading!
these essays circle around feminism, misogyny, power dynamics in the modeling industry and self-discovery. they're musings of a woman who spent years trying to push the narrative of using her body as a symbol of female empowerment, only to be hit with the realization that, no matter what, her worth will be measured by the burden of an adam's apple.
a quote that stood out to me was when emily proclaims that,
"women who gained power from beauty were indebted to the men whose desire granted them that power in the first place", which is actually jarring because that is the unfortunate truth. this lead to emily's quest to gulp down all feelings of self-blame and resentment, and reclaim herself.
in terms of how relatable the novel is, i wouldn't say that it
'opened' my eyes in any way, which is almost sad to admit because i found that emily's words were confirming what we have always known to be true to this day and age: male domination prevails in most aspects and fields of society.
while there are no "answers", her essays do not fail to pose thoughtful questions through her vulnerability and unmistakable tone of defiance. i'm honestly impressed by her impeccable writing and beautiful prose. a novel worth reading!
caroisreading's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
I wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to read Emily Ratajkowski's memoir. I know her as Emrata, a very surface-level idea of her persona. She wrote from this perspective, and deeply reflects from this perspective -- I'm known as the sexy model who has collected a following, but is my influence truly power if defined by capitalism, defined by men?
My heart broke over and over with every sexual assault, every moment stolen by older men. She writes beautifully and simply about her body as something she's detached from. She's commoditized the male gaze, its own form of power, but even that is taken away from her. The traumatic detail she has to share is needed, in a world that doesn't want to listen to her more than look.
This was hard material to read through, though I'm glad I did, to see more reality, and less posturing that's fed to us through celebrity. Emily is a survivor, and I appreciate her words and reflection. Looking forward to reading more from her!
My heart broke over and over with every sexual assault, every moment stolen by older men. She writes beautifully and simply about her body as something she's detached from. She's commoditized the male gaze, its own form of power, but even that is taken away from her. The traumatic detail she has to share is needed, in a world that doesn't want to listen to her more than look.
This was hard material to read through, though I'm glad I did, to see more reality, and less posturing that's fed to us through celebrity. Emily is a survivor, and I appreciate her words and reflection. Looking forward to reading more from her!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Drug use, Cancer, Sexual content, Rape, Body shaming, and Misogyny
jackieavila's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
alparker394's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
3 stars//Audiobook//I think I struggled with this book because I didn't find it as relatable as I'd hoped. While, yes, the author does admittedly write about her body image issues while working in the modeling industry, her viewpoint comes from a privileged tone, and makes it hard to relate. I went into this book thinking I would feel more camaraderie with the author, and instead found myself not really feeling anything in particular at all. Ratajkowski writes good essays and has valid points throughout this book, which is why I'm still giving it three stars, but overall I didn't find myself relating to her at all, or even really feeling like I liked her.