Scan barcode
A review by nevertheless_she_reads
My Body by Emily Ratajkowski
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
I bought Emily Ratjkowski's debut My Body from the cutest little indie bookstore Tombolo Books while vacationing in Florida.
My Body is a memoir and collection of essays about Emily's life as a model, and her life following her big break to fame in Robin Thicke's music video, Blurred Lines. She candidly talks about the realities of being seen as a commodity, someone controlled by the media and rich men. I've seen this book hailed as a Feminist read, and found myself waiting for the big aha moment where she finally yells a giant "F YOU" to misogyny and the false pretenses that beauty comes from outside validation, rather than from within...But that doesn't really happen.
Emily is an amazing writer, and I was so immersed in her words, finding certain phrases relatable to my decades-old, once-naive notions that beauty is defined by how others see us. Her story sheds a glaring light on the realities of celebrity culture and how toxic the industry of fame is. As someone who has slept in her car, and rationed out dollars to ensure she could eat, Emily talks about how her body became a commodity that launched her toward success - if success were defined as having loads of money and people fawning over your beauty. From a young age, Emily was constantly complimented on her beauty, which altered her sense of belonging to others and being controlled by how others view her. I appreciate how she recognizes the problems with this truth. And it's apparent that she also recognizes how much more her body is capable of, sharing in her final chapter the wonders of being pregnant and giving birth to her little boy.
"My body knows. Of course physical sensations, just like rage, have purpose. They are signals, indicators, meant to lead us to truths. But I don't listen, for fear of what they might reveal."
I really enjoyed reading this book and felt so many emotions, including rage, sympathy and disgust, while reading Emily's story. It was really eye-opening and I'm grateful for the way it made me think and process my own views on beauty.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
My Body is a memoir and collection of essays about Emily's life as a model, and her life following her big break to fame in Robin Thicke's music video, Blurred Lines. She candidly talks about the realities of being seen as a commodity, someone controlled by the media and rich men. I've seen this book hailed as a Feminist read, and found myself waiting for the big aha moment where she finally yells a giant "F YOU" to misogyny and the false pretenses that beauty comes from outside validation, rather than from within...But that doesn't really happen.
Emily is an amazing writer, and I was so immersed in her words, finding certain phrases relatable to my decades-old, once-naive notions that beauty is defined by how others see us. Her story sheds a glaring light on the realities of celebrity culture and how toxic the industry of fame is. As someone who has slept in her car, and rationed out dollars to ensure she could eat, Emily talks about how her body became a commodity that launched her toward success - if success were defined as having loads of money and people fawning over your beauty. From a young age, Emily was constantly complimented on her beauty, which altered her sense of belonging to others and being controlled by how others view her. I appreciate how she recognizes the problems with this truth. And it's apparent that she also recognizes how much more her body is capable of, sharing in her final chapter the wonders of being pregnant and giving birth to her little boy.
"My body knows. Of course physical sensations, just like rage, have purpose. They are signals, indicators, meant to lead us to truths. But I don't listen, for fear of what they might reveal."
I really enjoyed reading this book and felt so many emotions, including rage, sympathy and disgust, while reading Emily's story. It was really eye-opening and I'm grateful for the way it made me think and process my own views on beauty.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape