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Following Emily Ratajkowski’s explosive New York Magazine essay “Buying Myself Back” – a brilliant piece of writing where she accuses photographer Johnathan Leder of not only sexually assaulting her but publishing images without her consent – the model has released a memoir titled, My Body.
The new author has appeared on The View to talk about her new book, a collection of essays which reflect on our culture’s commodification of women.
American lawyer and author Sunny Hostin, a host on the show, asked the 30-year-old model what advice she’d give to younger women who found themselves in a position where they may too feel too worried to speak up.
“In general for young women, you have this feeling when you’re 19 that you own the world. You’re beautiful, you’re getting this attention and I think that you think you’re the one in power and you’re the one in charge when you’re actually being taken advantage of,” Ratajkowski said.
“I think that’s why so many women, when they look back on their lives, they say ‘Wow, I was a child then, I didn’t realize’. For young models specifically, you’re taught that there’s someone who’s prettier, someone who is more agreeable and that’s not going to waste any more money or time on set, so don’t make a big fuss.”
“I had learned, people had told me, that it’s ok to say no [and] that you can have boundaries, you [can] say you’re not comfortable with this.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfXGjj-QMLk
Before the interview wrapped up, The View received a statement from Leder’s legal team which read:
“We have every legal right to publish our books of Miss Ratajkowski despite what she has tried to maintain in the press. Miss Ratajkowski knows that and her lawyers know that. She knows she has no legal recourse to stop publication so bad-mouthing the photographer again with false and salacious and baseless accusations seems to be her newfound answer.”
“I wish you had come to me,” says Hostin, smiling.
“I wish I had too,” replies Ratajkowski.
You can pre-order Emily Ratajkowski’s book My Body (which is getting great reviews!) here.
