Emily Ratajkowski has been speaking out about sexuality and reclaiming the gaze of late, penning a powerful essay called ‘Baby Woman‘ for Lena Dunham’s Lenny on the subject. However most recently she has done a nude photo shoot and interview with a women’s fashion magazine in the US to talk further about feminism.
She discussed how her nude selfie with Kim Kardashian came about last year and caused a stir, saying that she was appalled by the public’s reaction to Kim’s originally nude selfie.
“[The media was saying]…She’s too old and she’s a mother, and we’ve given her enough attention, like she needs to stop doing this.” That made me really angry. She wrote a few tweets responding to all the hate she was getting from this post, and then Piers said Kanye [West] had written those tweets, which also infuriated me to no end.
“A selfie is a sort of interesting way to reclaim the gaze, right? You’re looking at yourself and taking a photo while looking at everyone. But also who cares? Kim’s allowed to do what she wants.”
After getting in contact with each other, the pair responded with this:
She said what inspired her to respond in this way was something Kim once observed:
“Kim said that to me. You know, when Lena Dunham takes her clothes off, she gets flack, but it’s also considered brave; when Justin Bieber takes his shirt off, he’s a grown-up. But when a woman who is sexual takes off her top, it plays into something.”
She is passionate about being able to own her sexuality, and posing nude without shame is part of that.
“That’s something we really forget in this world, especially in my industry and being in the public eye as a female. There’s this idea that if a man enjoys a photograph of a nude woman or if he likes your short skirt, he’s taking something away from you.”
For her, it all comes down to the fact that sex, desire and attention are normal, yet for women it is perceived as more passive than for men.
“That’s really what slut shaming is, right?” she says. “A woman talks about having sex, and it’s like, well, a guy got to have sex with you, so you’re stupid. You’ve given something up.”
Hopefully by speaking out, she will help reclaim the gaze.
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