‍The Facts

• Published: 2021
• Original language: English
• Number of pages: 340
• Genre: Non-fiction/Essays

‍The Gist‍

I’ll start with a confession: I didn’t have high expectations for this book because the author is a supermodel who owes her wealth to her physical appearance (I now see how that assumption is deeply misogynistic and can be traced back to the ingrained notions us women have about our own gender and beauty.)

This collection of essays is Ratajkowski’s first book, and is centered on (yes, you guessed it!) her body and the different versions of herself she’s seen throughout her journey to stardom. When I first read the title I thought “of course she’s going to make this about her perfect body,” but the title itself is incredibly complex, as it goes way beyond how beautiful it might be. The title suggests opposite notions: ownership and alienation. Her body is hers, but her body isn’t her. Her identity is something separate from her body, and she often refers to it as if it were an entirely different woman. While her work fully involves her physical self, Ratjkowski often dissociates during photoshoots: “I don’t even really recognize my body as me.”

“Over the course of our dinner, Natalie didn’t bring up anything about my body and I.” 

This one sentence, seemingly unimportant at first, truly expands on the duality Ratajkowski has been pushed into as a consequence of her career as a commodity item (aka a model). Because beauty has become a commodity of our modern society, one that the male-dominated industries are hellbent on claiming ownership of.

While I think she could’ve gone deeper into what her own cultural impact has been on the beauty standards of today’s world, I think this book touches on a lot of key issues that are pillars of our society. In “Release” she dives into female anger and how it is associated with ugliness and repulsiveness. In “Buying Myself Back” she expands into the lack of control we have over our own image and how social media has further distorted self-image. 

There’s a lot to say about this book, which is why I can’t recommend it enough.
If you’ve read it, what are your thoughts?

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The Themes

• Sexuality
• Power 
• Self-image
• Self-hatred
• Bodies and their purpose
• Beauty
• Intimacy
• Alienation

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The Author

Emily Ratajkowski is an American supermodel born of two school teachers in London, England. Her appearance in Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines music video catapulted her into fame in 2015, and has landed her in the top of “sexiest women alive” lists all around the world.

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