Female Objectification
Issue 16: A Byproduct of Being A Woman Today with Emily Ratajkowski's "My Body"
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Introduction
Female objectification has been has been a recurring theme throughout so many women’s lives, especially within certain industries. Emily Ratajkowski discusses her experiences and how that’s evolved her relationship with her sense of self over the years. Her book, “My Body,” combines several of her personal essays that unfold her experience with female objectification in the modeling industry. Her highs, lows, challenges and traumas are all pieced together to form how her experiences have shaped her.
Female objectification, however, happens to most women regardless of whether they are in a particular industry or not. So having Ratajkowski discuss her experiences not only gives us a first-row-insight into how her career evolved over time, but in way also gives others permission to take a deeper look into their own experiences and potentially feel inspired to write on their own experiences too.
Although she doesn’t explicitly say so, I think there’s something to be said about feeling empowered to share your story, especially if they may initially come with a sense of shame. For many generations, I do believe that it’s feelings of shame that have hindered a sense of open communication. But society has come extremely far now that we’re able to openly express ourselves. When we feel well-received enough to express ourselves openly, our stories can incite change as a result and ultimately establish a better culture.
In this email we’ll cover:
The Book of The Week
Quotes and Questions to Reflect On
Insights and Inspiration
Closing Remarks
“In my early twenties, it had never occurred to me that the women who gained their power from beauty were indebted to the men whose desire granted them that power in the first place.”
Emily Ratajkowski, My Body
What’s New?
Book of the Week:
My Body by Emily Ratajkowski
Genre:
Non-Fiction
Synopsis:
Emily Ratajkowski discusses the conversations around her body in this collection of essays. Her experiences, her thoughts, and the lessons she’s learned from her time and experience in the modelling world are all encompassed in this book. Her poignant perspective on what it means to be a woman, especially within extreme conditions of her experience, point to the evolution in her perspective from growth, experience, as well as the shift in cultural narrative.
Why We Love It:
Emily Ratajkowski’s essay format for this book was a great way to encapsulate the experiences she underwent. Although it’s written in a non-linear format her experiences are all well-explored and, despite being in an industry that many of us may not be apart of or understand, there are experiences that many of us can relate to.
Not only is the book an insight into her relationship with the world she’s in, fame and bodily autonomy, but she’s also written her book in such a beautiful way. There were several quotes that I highlighted as I was reading this, because the language provoked so much thought. Her account of her experiences shows how deeply she’s not only considered these events, but also in ways that she has grown from them.
That being said, having books such as this where the contents not only give us insight into the author’s world, but also help us realise that we are not alone. Reads such as this can help women see the commonalities that we face in our culture. It also represents a step forward towards female autonomy by having the freedom to express ourselves fully without the accompaniment of shame. Our voices are finally being heard and regarded with empathy.
Key Message:
By giving survivors a platform to share their voice, we are giving our society the opportunity to do better. Reading this book has given me insight into a world that is so complex, however, there’s still apart of me that understands what she’s undergone. The experiences she describes with sexual assault happen all too frequently across various the board, not just within certain industries. It’s a commonality that all too many people have to face.
“My Body” is an account of Ratajkowski’s relationship to her body and how her experiences may have impacted that relationship. Which I think so many people, especially women, can relate to. Women’s bodies have been objectified in a variety of ways, but most especially in the media. Which, in turn, does affect our relationship with ourselves. Although Ratajkowski’s experiences were more direct, media influences across a wide-spread audience to relate to their own bodies in a certain way too.
Although our media landscape has experienced significant changes in the last few years, for many years prior women have been portrayed in a way that meets the standard of the male gaze. Women’s bodies have been a subject of objectification as a result. As Ratajkowski mentions, that although her initial response to feeling desired made her feel empowered, it was only when she realised that her empowerment rested in the hands of the men that objectified her that she questioned her degree of autonomy.
By reading books such as this, we are opening the conversation to understanding people’s experiences and perhaps feeling inspired to shine a light on our own. Even if not, it can certainly help remove any sense of shame that we may be harboring over experiences that we may have had.
Quotes and Questions To Reflect On
Quote of the Week:
“I wonder how many women you've disregarded in your life, written off, because you assumed they had nothing to offer beyond the way they looked. How quickly they learned that the stuff in their heads was of less value than the shape of their bodies. I bet they were all smarter than you.”
Emily Ratajkowski, My Body
Reflection Questions:
Emily Ratajkowski discusses several experiences she’s had which regard her body. What were your initial thoughts after you read her book?
Do you feel that Emily made any decisions that would have differed from your own, had you been in her shoes?
Do you experience any sort of shift when reading about women who have experienced challenges in society as a result of their appearance?
The media landscape has significantly change within the last ten years. What were some of the changes you personally experienced with your body as a result of this?
Related Articles:
Read a review by Becca Rothfeld on The Guardian
Insights and Inspiration
Author Spotlight:
Emily Ratajkowski
Background:
Emily Ratajkowski has an impressive array of professional pursuits alongside being a writer. She is also a model, entrepreneur, and activist. Having wide variety of professionnal achievements, her book “My Body” showcases her intelligence, commitment to her cause, as well as her understanding of what it means to be a woman objectified in the public eye.
Beyond the Book:
Closing Remarks
This read has encompassed some of the highs and lows within the modeling and entertainment industry, as introduced by Emily Ratajkowski. However, she also touches on important topics that form part of that career choice and lifestyle as well. Her memoir is centered around the experiences she’s had around her body; her source of empowerment and a way to work a system to her advantage.
This read is an insight into the industry and how beauty is portrayed for wider audiences from Ratajkowski’s point of view. In essence, the beauty standard was established to appease men, and instigate women to redirect their focus to meet those standards. If you can fall within the right parameters you can capitalize off of the system, however, as Ratajkowski realised, her sense of power isn’t quite as cemented as she initially thought.
However, a deeper issue presents itself when objectification evolves into sexual assault. Although there are several degrees to assault, all of it is traumatic. The trauma can even become so demanding that it can have a survivor question their identity - their relationship to their body is changed. However, books such as this can shift that narrative from shame and disorientation, to acceptance and acknowledgement.
A better society cannot be established without first addressing the underlying issues that for too long have been disregarded. Women sharing their stories, for example in reads such as this, can become a catalyst for meaningful cultural shifts. When we can communicate our experiences in a space where we are received with a listening ear, it can change the nature of the conversation as well as distinguish the areas for improvement in our society.
So I would recommend this read for those of you who are interested in reading a memoir. This had been on my TBR pile for about a year, and finally having gotten to it, I’m glad I read it.
Until Next Time!
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Keep living life on your terms!
Warm regards,
June Tara
Founder of Spark Siren