My Body

i want to rate this higher, i really do but...

Firstly, let me commend Ratajkowski on her writing. There is no doubt that she is an intellect and a brilliant writer. She is able to beautifully convey her own complex nature; it is raw and candid. She knows how to tell a story.

The problem lies in the marketing of the book as a feminist work. It is not.

Ratajkowski seems to be so out of touch with reality and completely unaware of her own privilege. I don't mean to minimise her struggles at all but she never addresses her privilege as a conventionally attractive, skinny, relatively wealthy, cis white woman. She doesn't take into account the struggles of any other marginalised groups of women, which would've been totally acceptable if only she didn't dub this is a “feminist” book. Non-intersectional “feminist” books are essentially just self serving and relatable to few. Books addressing body image and body positivity are good but feminism should never stop there.

Ratajkowski doesn't write much in terms of critiquing the current harmful capitalist systems, she simply talks about how she found success within these capitalist structures. The book doesn't condemn the modelling industry as a whole but rather her own mistreatment within the industry.

Her lack of awareness surrounding her own privilege is especially evident in the way she talks about money, complaining about buying back a picture of herself for $80k, which she can't afford because she's only 23 so she had to split it with her boyfriend. What 23 year old has $40k lying around to buy their own photo that's already out on the internet. I understand that it was her way of reclaiming her body and more power to you but to not even regard the privileged position she's in, felt extremely insensitive.

She also often universalizes her own experiences, not realizing that most people -women- lead lives that are diametrically different.

All that being said, her personal experiences of objectification, sexual assault, exploitation are all still very real and traumatic, and so as a memoir, this is a powerful and well written book. It's just not a feminist book.

Emily, please keep writing.