In Conversation with Lisa Taddeo, Emily Ratajkowski Celebrates the Launch of My Body with Tory Burch

“I prayed for beauty; I didn’t pray to be smart,” Emily Ratajkowski confessed in conversation with the author of Three Women, Lisa Taddeo, at the launch of her first book titled My Body. Last night, on the top floor of Tory Burch’s new Soho boutique, Ratajkowski unpacked her journey from a young girl to a young mother in front of an intimate crowd of friends and fans.

Guests, including Karlie Kloss, Ziwe, Jessica Joffe, Tommy Dorfman, Moses Sumney, Hannah Bronfman, Chanel Miller, Glamour’s Samantha Barry, Raven Leilani, Kristine Froseth, and Selby Drummond, all dropped by to celebrate the monumental moment for the model turned author. The world got a first taste of Ratajkowski’s written work when she published an essay about reclaiming her own image in The Cut back in 2020. A little over a year later, Ratajowksi will officially reveal a compiled series of raw and real essays about female desire, relationships, and the sexualization of women to the public.

“One of my impulses to write was to have control over my story and each word to be my own,” Ratawoskji explained. “The act of writing itself is actually very empowering.”

Growing up, Ratajkowski recalled that all of the powerful women she knew were the most attractive women. However, through personal growth and learning experiences (many of which she shares in her memoir), Ratajkowski has eloquently rewritten the rulebook for women to own their beauty. Women supporting women is not something new for Ratajkowski, who continuously stands up for and speaks out about feminist causes, a movement that hits home for event’s co-hosts, Tory Burch and PEN America.

“We as a company stand for women’s empowerment, and that’s why I started this company,” Burch began, “And to have women like Emily and Lisa be role models for young girls by standing up and confronting issues in such a well-spoken and extraordinary way is truly amazing.”

Before attendees wandered up through Burch’s newly opened Mercer Street store filled with rattan accents and gold-rimmed displays, dainty bites like smoked salmon bites and spring rolls were passed. 

Upstairs, Taddeo sat down with Ratajkowski for a candid conversation about bringing My Body to life. The two authors, who wrestle with similar topics from complex relationships to reevaluating a woman’s role, spoke about their shared love for female friendships.

At a point in the conversation, Taddeo proclaimed that My Body should be required reading for today’s young adults and the generations to come. An idea that Ratajkowski quite literally wrote into her pages. “I dedicated this book to my son, Sylvester,” Ratajkowski smiled. “I hope through writing and sharing My Body that I can be the best version of myself as a woman and mother.”