Emily Ratajkowski — professional model and star of Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams' "Blurred Lines" music video — has accused Thicke of sexual misconduct in her forthcoming book My Body, due November 11.
According to an excerpt of the book obtained by The Sunday Times [via ET], Ratajkowski alleged that Thicke grabbed her bare breasts against her will during a shoot for the now-infamous video, which was directed by a woman named Diane Martel.
The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual assault. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.
Ratajkowski writes:
Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt the coolness and foreignness of a stranger's hands cupping my bare breasts from behind. I instinctively moved away, looking back at Robin Thicke. He smiled a goofy grin and stumbled backward, his eyes concealed behind his sunglasses. My head turned to the darkness beyond the set. [Martel's] voice cracked as she yelled out to me, "Are you OK?" With that one gesture, Robin Thicke had reminded everyone on set that we women weren't actually in charge. I didn't have any real power as the naked girl dancing around in his music video. I was nothing more than the hired mannequin.
Ratajkowski explained that she agreed to do the shoot in part because of its female director, Martel, who corroborated her account of the events.
"I remember the moment that he grabbed her breasts," Martel recalled. "One in each hand. He was standing behind her as they were both in profile. I screamed in my very aggressive Brooklyn voice, 'What the f**k are you doing, that's it!! The shoot is over!!'"
Ratajkowski explained that she felt "humiliated" by the incident, but went on with the shoot in an effort to "minimize" what had occurred. She went on to explain that Thicke had been "a little drunk" during the shoot. Martel said he later apologized for his actions.
Since the song's release in 2013, it has been the subject of heavy scrutiny concerning its subject matter, which some have argued plays into rape culture. The song arrived simultaneously to Hollywood's reckoning with consent and rape culture amid the height of the #MeToo movement.
Ratajkowski's book is said to investigate "what it means to be a woman and a commodity." A synopsis reads:
My Body is a profoundly personal exploration of feminism, sexuality, and power, of men's treatment of women and women's rationalizations for accepting that treatment. These essays chronicle moments from Ratajkowski's life while investigating the culture's fetishization of girls and female beauty, its obsession with and contempt for women's sexuality, the perverse dynamics of the fashion and film industries, and the grey area between consent and abuse.
My Body is available for pre-order.
According to an excerpt of the book obtained by The Sunday Times [via ET], Ratajkowski alleged that Thicke grabbed her bare breasts against her will during a shoot for the now-infamous video, which was directed by a woman named Diane Martel.
The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual assault. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.
Ratajkowski writes:
Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt the coolness and foreignness of a stranger's hands cupping my bare breasts from behind. I instinctively moved away, looking back at Robin Thicke. He smiled a goofy grin and stumbled backward, his eyes concealed behind his sunglasses. My head turned to the darkness beyond the set. [Martel's] voice cracked as she yelled out to me, "Are you OK?" With that one gesture, Robin Thicke had reminded everyone on set that we women weren't actually in charge. I didn't have any real power as the naked girl dancing around in his music video. I was nothing more than the hired mannequin.
Ratajkowski explained that she agreed to do the shoot in part because of its female director, Martel, who corroborated her account of the events.
"I remember the moment that he grabbed her breasts," Martel recalled. "One in each hand. He was standing behind her as they were both in profile. I screamed in my very aggressive Brooklyn voice, 'What the f**k are you doing, that's it!! The shoot is over!!'"
Ratajkowski explained that she felt "humiliated" by the incident, but went on with the shoot in an effort to "minimize" what had occurred. She went on to explain that Thicke had been "a little drunk" during the shoot. Martel said he later apologized for his actions.
Since the song's release in 2013, it has been the subject of heavy scrutiny concerning its subject matter, which some have argued plays into rape culture. The song arrived simultaneously to Hollywood's reckoning with consent and rape culture amid the height of the #MeToo movement.
Ratajkowski's book is said to investigate "what it means to be a woman and a commodity." A synopsis reads:
My Body is a profoundly personal exploration of feminism, sexuality, and power, of men's treatment of women and women's rationalizations for accepting that treatment. These essays chronicle moments from Ratajkowski's life while investigating the culture's fetishization of girls and female beauty, its obsession with and contempt for women's sexuality, the perverse dynamics of the fashion and film industries, and the grey area between consent and abuse.
My Body is available for pre-order.
