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

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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.

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A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on May 13, 2020 at 11:12am PDT

‘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.

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4 things I’ve been reading/listening/watching: 1️⃣All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks. My friend recommended this book to me and it arrived just in time for quarantine. Hooks offers a comprehensive look at something our society both holds in the highest regard and simultaneously shrouds in mystery. She defines love in the first chapter (using M. Scott Peck’s words) as “‘the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.’” With chapters like “Justice: Childhood Love Lessons” and “Values: Living by a Love Ethic”, you’ll find yourself thinking about love, self-love and positive thinking in completely new and challenging ways. What better moment to take a fresh look at love? As Cuomo reminded us last week: “And at the end of the day, my friends, even if it is a long day, and this is a long day, love wins. Always. And it will win again through this virus.” 2️⃣Another concise (albeit dense) and philosophical book I’ve making my way through is Martin Hagglund’s This Life. Hagglund focuses on the value of time and the power we have in what we chose to do with it. He argues that the finite amount of time we have in this life is what gives life purpose. In a moment when many of us have more time on our hands and less things that make us distracted, this is a nice read to offer perspective and purpose. 3️⃣Music! This morning I remembered a band I loved in high school: Electrelane. I’ve been jamming to them all day. My favorite tracks are Saturday, Birds and The Greater Times. Electrelane makes me feel like getting up and dusting myself off but in a gentle, grounded way. 4️⃣ Pen15. I watched the entire series when it first came out but I’ve found it really nice to revisit these past 2 weeks. It’s hysterically funny and serves as a reminder of how small our worlds are when we are in tweens and how real the emotions and experiences are at that age. Felt like you were in hell in middle school? You got through that and can even laugh about it now!

A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on Apr 1, 2020 at 8:41am PDT

‘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.