While Emily Ratajkowski has a massive following on social media and in the fashion world, it came as a surprise to many when she was arrested at the U.S. Capitol while protesting against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, according to reports from the Daily Mail .
Now in a candid interview, Ratajkowski gave a deeper look into her mind, speaking about her views on feminism, her marriage to Sebastian Bear-McClard, and even being denied entry at teenage dances for dressing “too sexy” when she was 13.
Speaking with Grazia , Ratajkowski talked of her hope to inspire people at the risk of being hated, citing her biggest fear as “mediocrity.”
“I don’t want to be vanilla!” said Ratajkowski. “I think having haters is a good sign! I want to inspire people to get mad. I would rather have 300,000 trolls than nobody saying anything.”
Speaking about her politics, Ratajkowski revealed that from an early age she was aware of society “policing” her body, specifically for being denied entry to a dance at the age of 13 due to her figure.
“I had quite a figure at that point, curvy with really big breasts. It was so embarrassing. I wasn’t having sex and didn’t know what being sexy was so it was very strange to get that kind of reaction. I felt like it was my fault although it wasn’t.”
She credits her mother Kathleen Balgley for fighting back against those who tried to put constraints on her as well as instilling a confidence in her body that she carries to this day.
“Seeing her response to those things – never letting me feel guilty… the way she raged against people who told me how to dress, I think that’s why I have the attitude I do,” said Ratajkowski.
Ratajkowski also spoke about wedding Sebastian Bear-McClard earlier in the year after only four weeks of dating and how her feminism played a role in the ceremony.
Ratajkowski decided to forego the usual white dress in favor of a yellow suit from Zara, describing her decision as, “It just felt like the most me outfit ever.” She also kept her own name during the secret ceremony at the City Hall of New York City and joked that Bear-McClard should take hers instead.
Going into more detail about feminism, Ratajkowski said, “For me, feminism is all about choice: socially, sexually, in the workplace, in any capacity. It is about women having the freedom to choose. Are there limits to that? I don’t think so. Once you start drawing lines you’re missing the point because everyone has different things they want for themselves… and there are no limitations for men in that way.”
