Emily Ratajkowski

 Emily Ratajkowski

Emily O'Hara Ratajkowski[3] (/ˌrætəˈkaʊski/,[4] Polish: [ratajˈkɔfskʲi]; born June 7, 1991)[5] is an American model and actress. Born in London to American parents and raised in Encinitas, California, Ratajkowski began acting as a child before she appeared in two episodes of the Nickelodeon series iCarly (2009–2010). Her modeling debut was on the cover of the March 2012 issue of the erotic magazine treats!, which led to her appearing in two music videos: Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" and Maroon 5's "Love Somebody".

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Ratajkowski's feature film debut was a supporting role as the mistress of Ben Affleck's character in the film Gone Girl (2014). Her other roles include the films Entourage (2015), We Are Your Friends (2015), I Feel Pretty (2018) and Welcome Home (2018), as well as the miniseries The Spoils Before Dying (2015) and the anthology series Easy (2016). She appeared in the 2014 and 2015 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, and made her professional catwalk modeling debut for Marc Jacobs at New York Fashion Week in 2015. She has since walked on the Paris Fashion Week runway for Miu Miu and Milan Fashion Week for Bottega Veneta, Dolce & Gabbana, and Versace. For her international Vogue covers and high fashion campaigns, Models.com ranks her as one of the new generation of supermodels.

Ratajkowski appeared in a Buick Super Bowl commercial during Super Bowl 50 (2016), and has become the spokesperson for brands such as DKNY, The Frye Company, Kerastase, Paco Rabanne, and DL1961. She is an advocate for women's health issues as a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood. As a self-identified feminist, Ratajkowski has received both support and criticism for her views on sexual expression. Her essay collection, My Body, was published by Metropolitan Books in November 2021

Early life

Emily O'Hara Ratajkowski was born June 7, 1991[5] in Westminster, London, the only child of American parents, school teachers Kathleen Anne Balgley and John David "J.D." Ratajkowski.[8][9][10] She was raised in Encinitas near San Diego, California. She attended UCLA for a year before dropping out to model full-time.[11] Her father was raised Roman Catholic, whereas her mother is Jewish.[8] Ratajkowski has stated that she ethnically identifies herself as "Polish-Israeli."[4] She also has English, Irish, and German ancestry.

Ratajkowski tried soccer, acting, and ballet before modeling.[3] She participated in a few local theater productions as a child and young teen.[14] Exposure to the nude female figure in photography and art during her formative years, including the work of her father and the photography of Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts, prepared Ratajkowski for nude work. She has said, "We have this culture of men, especially, watching pornography, but then offended by a classic nude portrait or photograph, and I've never felt that way."[15] She was also influenced by third-wave feminism and works such as The Beauty Myth and Promiscuities by Naomi Wolf.