Do Emily Ratajkowski's Sexy Photo Shoots Make a Feminist Statement?

Emily Ratajkowski posed for day three of Love Magazine’s Love Advent calendar by writhing around [...]

Emily Ratajkowski posed for day three of Love Magazine's Love Advent calendar by writhing around in spaghetti wearing only her lingerie, but not everyone appreciated the flirty work of art.

Critics, including Good Morning Britain's outspoken host Piers Morgan, criticized the model and actress for "taking her clothes off" under the guise of feminism.

Ratajkowski took to Twitter on Wednesday to clap back at her haters.

"Lol never said my love video was a feminist statement," the 26-year-old wrote. "But now it's worth saying that telling women what to do with their bodies & sexuality is actually just classic sexism."

"I can have opinions about feminism & also do sexy photo shoots k thanks," Ratajkowski concluded.

Her response was likely in response to Morgan's comments calling her a "global bimbo" and telling her to "get some clothes on and get yourself a proper job."

After Morgan blasted the "Blurred Lines" video star on-air, he continued to berate her on social media.

"Yes, what a wonderful testament to feminist empowerment! Here's how to get on in life girls: strop off & writhe in pasta, then complain about men 'objectifying' you," he wrote in response to his co-host Susanna Reid as she stuck up for Ratajkowski.

Ratajkowski's original statement was attached to Love Magazine's Instagram post revealing her sexy "carbo loading" shoot for its #StayStrong-themed advent series.

🎄On the 3rd day of Christmas my true #LOVEADVENT gave to me @emrata’s amazing polemic on female empowerment. “To me, female sexuality and sexiness, no matter how conditioned it may be by a patriarchal ideal, can be incredibly empowering for a woman if she feels it is empowering to her. The way I dress, act, flirt, dance, have sex - those are my decisions and they shouldn't be impacted by men. Being sexy is fun and I like it. I should never have to apologize for that. My life is on my terms and if I feel like putting on sexy underwear, it’s for me. Personal choice is the core ideal in my concept of feminism. Katie directed us to say ‘Stay Strong’ at the end of each video and I think it's a message from one woman to another. You're watching a video of a girl grinding in lingerie or whatever else and she is looking into the camera at the end saying, ‘you do you, however YOU want to, fuck the rest’. In the wake of the Harvey fallout and women coming forward with incredible amounts of sexual harassment cases, I have been so disappointed to hear women talk about "modesty" and "our responsibility" as if we need to, yet again, adjust to make it "easier" for the rest of the world. I'm tired of having to consider how I might be perceived by men if I wear the short skirt or post a sexy Instagram. I want to do what I want to do. Feminism isn't about adjusting, it's about freedom and choice. Do you think viewers will understand that, given the current wider conversation about the sexual objectification of women? why or why not? What are the risks? This is something I've battled with personally and publicly. I've had men comment on sexy images of me online and say "this is empowering to you? Ha! I just masturbated to it so hope you feel good about yourself!" I guess that's the way people can react, which ironically, ultimately serves my point. I don't care about your reaction or what you do with my expression of self. In fact, it has nothing to do with you at all and that's the point-which is why it feels good. Ultimately, if a woman wants to wear a burka or nothing at all, it's great if it's what she wants and feels good about.”💥#STAYSTRONG Link in bio to full film

A post shared by LOVE MAGAZINE (@thelovemagazine) on

In it, she did mention feminism and her concept of the movement, writing that "personal choice is the core ideal."

"I'm tired of having to consider how I might be perceived by men if I wear the short skirt or post a sexy Instagram," the model wrote in part. "I want to do what I want to do. Feminism isn't about adjusting, it's about freedom and choice."

"The way I dress, act, flirt, dance, have sex - those are my decisions and they shouldn't be impacted by men. Being sexy is fun and I like it. I should never have to apologize for that," she added.

Ratajkowski is just one of the 25 high-profile women participating in Love Magazine's seventh annual project. Other models include Ashley Graham, Kendall Jenner, Gigi and Bella Hadid and Karlie Kloss, among others.

For Graham's shoot, she performed a sled pull across a New York sidewalk while dolled up in a sports bra and spandex shorts.

"Shooting the Advent calendar is a true expression of self-love and empowers women to embrace their own sexuality," Graham said of the project. "This year we're reminding women to #STAYSTRONG because we are powerful, we are resilient, and we run the world."

A new video will be released every day leading up to Christmas and each will feature the model in a position of strength, meant to celebrate individuality, strength and confidence.

0comments