Madeline W

“I think of her and the other naked women who line the walls and fill the halls of museums, some so ancient the color has washed from their bodies and their marble heads have fallen off. It would be easy to mistake these displays for symbols of respect, for an honor. But what were their lives? And what were their names? no one remembers.”
― Emily Ratajkowski, My Body

“Every day thousands of children in our culture are verbally and physically abused, starved, tortured, and murdered. They are the true victims of intimate terrorism in that they have no collective voice and no rights. They remain the property of parenting adults to do with as they will. There can be no love without justice. Until we live in a culture that not only respects but also upholds basic civil rights for children, most children will not know love. In our culture the private family dwelling is the one institutionalized sphere of power that can easily be autocratic and fascistic. As absolute rulers, parents can usually decide without any intervention what is best for their children. If children’s rights are taken away in any domestic household, they have no legal recourse. Unlike women who can organize to protest sexist domination, demanding both equal rights and justice, children can only rely on well-meaning adults to assist them if they are being exploited and oppressed in the home.”
― bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions

“The expectation that models should change in front of people is also a way for the client to exert power. It's both a test and a reminder of your position: everyone else is doing their job; now it's time for you to do yours. The stylist, their assistant, the client or editor, the other models, and sometimes the photographer will stand right in front of you and wait as you strip. You understand that your body is a means for them to accomplish what they're here to accomplish: to make an image to sell whatever it is they're selling. They're in charge of it now, not you. (K-Spa)”
― Emily Ratajkowski, My Body

“I will remain as the real Emily; the Emily who owns the high-art Emily, and the one who wrote this essay, too. She will continue to carve out control where she can find it. (Buying Myself Back)”
― Emily Ratajkowski, My Body