Emily Ratajkowski is writing a book of essays on body image in isolation and we’re here for it

Here’s everything you need to know…

(Image credit: Charley Gallay)

Here’s everything you need to know…

Emily Ratajkowski is one of the most talked-about women in the world, never afraid to speak her mind or stand up for what she believes in.

It comes as a surprise to no-one therefore that the model has been spending her time in quarantine well, reading and writing non-stop.

Opening up about being productive in self-isolation, Emily explained in an interview with British GQ that she has been passing the time writing a book of essays.

A photo posted by on

‘I have probably ten [essays],’ Emily explained in the interview. ‘But I’m trying to perfect them - that’s one of the main things I’ve been doing [in isolation],’ going on to cite writing as ‘the one benefit of corona that’s been interesting.’

She continued: ‘I had planned to take until mid-April to edit these essays. I have 160 pages, all in draft. I have an agent and I’m going through his one sheet of notes. All I needed was no distractions and I promised myself I was going to tell everyone to just leave me to work and get them done. Now look.

‘I’d say it’s like a memoir, but with added political thinking. I’m trying to use my experience as a model and someone who has capitalised on their image and also someone who has been maybe a victim of their image. It’s complicated. I am looking at all that through a feminist perspective and just trying to decipher some of the answers. I don’t have them all yet; maybe I never will.

A photo posted by on

‘The best writing I do is as I’m falling asleep,’ Emily explained of her writing process. ‘I take notes on my phone and I will write down anecdotes on a topic. I’ll just write them as they come; a flow of consciousness. And then usually I will look at them the next morning and, hopefully, some of it will make sense. Then I do a lot of really bad writing, where I basically fill out each of those sentences I took down as notes and hate myself. I’ll be like, “Oh, this is terrible! What are you doing with your life?” But I will get to a rough draft. The next day I go back and read through and realise some of it isn’t actually too bad. I’ll line edit, rebuild paragraphs and reorder the structure. It’s a constant beating - exhausting and totally unrewarding, but I love it. Now, with my book due, I feel a lot more pressure to write well than, say, if I was doing a blog or an assignment for class.’

We cannot wait to read this book.

Jenny Proudfoot
Contributing Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.