Honestly, if you've spent any time on the internet over the last decade, you've seen the images. Emily Ratajkowski—or EmRata, as the world calls her—became a household name essentially by being naked. It started with a music video that everyone seemed to hate and love simultaneously, and it turned into a career that is basically a case study in how to turn a physical image into a multi-million dollar business.
But here is the thing. Most people talk about Emily Ratajkowski toppless as if it's just about "thirst traps" or Instagram likes. It’s way deeper than that. We are talking about a woman who has spent years trying to figure out if she owns her own skin or if the public does.
What Really Happened with the "Blurred Lines" Video
Let's go back to 2013. That was the year of "Blurred Lines." You remember the song—Robin Thicke, Pharrell, and a bunch of models dancing around. There was a "clean" version and an "explicit" one where the models were topless. Emily was the breakout star of that video.
At the time, she defended it. She called it empowering. She told everyone who would listen that she felt in control and that she wasn't being objectified because she was choosing to be there.
Fast forward to her 2021 book, My Body. Everything changed.
She admitted that the shoot wasn't the feminist victory she’d claimed it was. In fact, she revealed a pretty gross incident where Robin Thicke allegedly groped her from behind during the shoot. She didn't say anything at the time because she was twenty-one and, in her words, felt like a "hired mannequin."
It’s a weird contradiction, right? She was the face of "choice feminism" for years, telling women they could do whatever they wanted with their bodies, while secretly feeling like she had no power at all.
Reclaiming the Narrative Through Writing
When Emily started writing essays like "Buying Myself Back" for New York Magazine, the vibe shifted. She wasn't just a model anymore. She was a woman dealing with the legal nightmare of not even owning the photos taken of her.
Did you know she once got sued for posting a paparazzi photo of herself on her Instagram story? Imagine that. You are the person in the photo, but you don't own the rights to it. This realization is what pushed her to start talking about the "male gaze" and how capitalism basically eats up a woman's image and sells it back to her.
She’s basically spent the last few years trying to untangle herself from the very industry that made her famous. It’s messy. It’s complicated. And it’s why people are still obsessed with her.
The Inamorata Strategy: Business Meets Nudity
Emily didn't just stop at modeling. She launched Inamorata, her own brand. And if you look at the marketing, it’s almost exclusively her. She is the CEO, the designer, and the lead model.
Usually, when she posts a photo of herself in a thong or topless to promote a new drop, people lose their minds. But from a business perspective, it's genius. She isn't waiting for a photographer to hire her; she is hiring herself.
- Direct-to-consumer power: She bypasses traditional magazines.
- Aesthetic control: She decides exactly how she is seen.
- Ownership: She owns the copyright to her own marketing materials.
It’s a huge shift from the "Blurred Lines" days. Back then, she was being used to sell someone else's music. Now, she uses her own body to sell her own products. Does that make it "empowering"? That depends on who you ask.
Why Critics Think She's Full of It
There is a massive group of people—including some pretty famous feminists—who think EmRata is just "clothed in intellectualism." They argue that by constantly being naked, she is just upholding the same beauty standards that make regular women feel like garbage.
The argument is basically: "You can't claim to be fighting the patriarchy while you're currently the patriarchy's favorite toy."
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Emily’s response is usually pretty simple. She acknowledges that she has "pretty privilege." She knows she hit the genetic lottery. But she also argues that if she’s going to exist in a world that is going to sexualize her anyway, she might as well be the one making the money from it.
The Reality of Being "Perceived"
One of the most interesting things she’s said recently is that "life cannot be dictated by how you are perceived." Which is kinda hilarious coming from someone whose entire job is being perceived.
But it hits on something real. We live in a culture where everyone is constantly "performing" for an audience. Whether it's a LinkedIn post or a bikini selfie, we are all curate-ing ourselves. Emily is just doing it on a global scale.
She’s also a mom now. That’s changed the way she talks about her body, too. She’s mentioned that she appreciates what her body does (like giving life) more than just what it looks like.
Actionable Insights: What We Can Learn from EmRata
You don't have to be a supermodel to take away something from Emily's journey. Her career is a masterclass in several things:
- Ownership is everything. If you don't own your work, your image, or your "brand," someone else will profit from it.
- It's okay to change your mind. You can defend something at twenty-one and realize it was toxic by thirty. Growth isn't a straight line.
- The "Choice" Trap. Just because you "choose" to do something doesn't mean the system you're doing it in isn't broken. Acknowledging that complexity is more honest than pretending everything is perfect.
The conversation about Emily Ratajkowski and her choice to be topless isn't going away. It's not just about skin; it's about who gets to decide what a woman does with her image in a world that wants to buy and sell it.
If you want to understand the modern intersection of fame, feminism, and business, you have to look at the "blurred lines" she’s still walking today. She’s shown that while you might start as the "hired mannequin," you can eventually become the one holding the camera—and the paycheck.