Emily Ratajkowski

[TeddyDahlia]

I just wanted to share this amazing essay by Emily Ratajkowski on the subject of owning her own image as a model, particularly in the wake of her having been sexually assaulted by the photographer Jonathan Leder, who went on to financially benefit from his exploitation and abuse of her.

The essay is such a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be the subject of an image you don’t own, while working in an industry which is so exploitative of young women, and which simultaneously adulates the people (usually men) who take photographs while denigrating the (usually female) subjects.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thecut.com/amp/article/emily-ratajkowski-owning-my-image-essay.html

Very interesting, thanks for posting that teddy

No problem, I found it so thoughtful and quite moving.

Yes it was

She write very well

This deserves a bump. This deserves to be read. This deserves a conversation.

I read the essay a couple of days ago and saw something about it on Twitter in which a lot of people were saying how terrible it was that she had been sexually assaulted - which, of course, it was: horrible, brutal and terrifying. But I found the way that she she describes having no control over her image and that a succession of men had tried to exploit her through that just as creepy and probably the more interesting aspect of the piece.

I agree - the fact that so many of these men think that owning an image of her means they actually own her, and therefore seeing her as an object not a subject. Even men who supposedly cared about or admired her. And there’s a prevailing sense that they believe that because she’s a model she’s somehow tacitly agreed to this exploitation, that she has no right to interfere with the way in which they want to use her.

I particularly loved the closing sentiment:

Eventually, Jonathan will run out of “unseen” crusty Polaroids, but I will remain as the real Emily; the Emily who owns the high-art Emily, and the one who wrote this essay, too. She will continue to carve out control where she can find it.

The essay is very well-written, and I empathise with her on the saga with the odious photographer. It sounds dreadful.

From the sound of the story, perhaps the law around copyright of images isn't quite right. However, I also think that by being a model, you are voluntarily commodifying your appearance. By modelling in a sexy way, you are commodifying your sexual appearance. Your image is something that you have sold, and other people will read into that in different ways. Just being pragmatic here. Perhaps this is a good cautionary tale for other young women who are considering the industry, or its cousin Onlyfans.

But I think there is an important distinction to be drawn between commodifying one’s appearance and commodifying oneself. Consenting to the former does not in any way mean you have consented to the latter, but sadly models are often not allowed to rely on that distinction.

It struck me as particularly rank that she was sued for use of an image to which she had never consented.

Think what you will about celebrity culture—and there is a lot of shite out there with the incestuous PR relationships—her central point is having rights over her professional life.

This wasn’t a breach of contract. There was no contract. She did not consent to the flower photo.

Fine, she’s a public figure.

But to be sued because she then used that image...something needs to change.

Because if we drill down, there are many issues that affect women and photos and ownership of ourselves and our images.

This is the world we live in.

I read this yesterday, I found it really compelling and eye opening. She came across as vulnerable yet sincere. Photographers and paps aren't such a nice bunch in that whole industry, I had no idea a human has so little control over ones own photographic image. I like her.

Yes, I agree that consenting to commodifying your image does not imply you are doing the same for your self. But her (understandable) distress and wish to get the images back suggests to me that the two things are not so easily separated from the perspective of the 'seller'.

^^ to be clear, I was talking about the photos held by the creepy photographer, not the paparazzi shots (which is just ridiculous)

Also disturbing—as has always been the case—is the phenomenon that is “revenge porn.”

Whether consenting adult partners (let’s leave out the teens for now) ought or oughtn't be taking photos of each other isn’t the issue.

Thanks for sharing that. Shocking to think she's had to buy back her own images.

there are many issues that affect women and photos and ownership of ourselves and our images.

Very true. Thanks for posting the link. for Emily R. Things seem so heavily stacked against women in her industry (understatement)

Things seem so heavily stacked against women in her industry (understatement)

Absolutely - and it’s generally such young women who have nothing to compare the job too so no basis for assessing if something is really safe and respectful, and a huge amount of pressure to be the ‘cool girl’ who is easy to work with and up for anything, because if you stand up for yourself at all the man putting you in an unsafe and uncomfortable situation will tell others you were a nightmare and you won’t get any more jobs. The power imbalance is astonishing. The thought of a 20 year old heading off alone to a remote part of the Catskills to spend the night being photographed naked in the house of a man she has never met is so horrifying, but there is clearly just a sense that in that industry you do what you’re told because if not your career is over before it has even begun.

The comment Leder has made saying ‘ You do know who we are talking about right? This is the girl that was naked in Treats! magazine, and bounced around naked in the Robin Thicke video at that time.

'You really want someone to believe she was a victim?'

Just so wrong, he sounds like a nasty piece of work who not only has no remorse for his actions that night, but has made a living exploiting her and seems to me to be almost gaslighting people about her.

She writes really well, the content is sad, but depressingly not surprising- I imagine lots of young women have been in similar situations, and always seem to get the blame like it's their fault. Gross. I hope she writes more, I'd certainly read.

Interesting and saddening. Thanks for posting.

Thanks- I’ve shared on twitter as well.

The picture of the man looking at her photos on the wall towards the end of the article. As if it’s less seedy and somehow highbrow that he’s looking at photos of an exploited woman now that it’s on a gallery wall.