Emily Ratajkowski

Emily O'Hara Ratajkowski (, ; born June 7, 1991) is an American model and actress.

Born in London to American parents and raised in Encinitas, California, she signed to Ford Models at a young age.

Emily O'Hara Ratajkowski was born June 7, 1991 in Westminster, London, the only child of American school teachers Kathleen Anne Balgley and John David "J.D."

Ratajkowski.

She was raised in Encinitas near San Diego, California.

She attended UCLA for a year before dropping out to model full-time.

Her father was raised Roman Catholic, whereas her mother is Jewish.

Ratajkowski has stated that she ethnically identifies herself as "Polish-Israeli", as her ancestors made aliyah to Israel from Eastern Europe.

She also has Irish ancestry.

Ratajkowski tried soccer, acting, and ballet before modeling.

She participated in a few local theater productions as a child and young teen.

Exposure to the nude female figure in photography and art during her formative years, including the work of her father and the photography of Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts, prepared Ratajkowski for nude work.

She has said, "We have this culture of men, especially, watching pornography, but then offended by a classic nude portrait or photograph, and I've never felt that way."

She was also influenced by third-wave feminism and works such as The Beauty Myth and Promiscuities by Naomi Wolf.

With encouragement from an acting coach, Ratajkowski met and signed with a talent agent who contacted Ford Models.

That same day, she signed with Ford at age 14 and went on to do teen print catalog modeling for Kohl's and Nordstrom.

At 15, Ratajkowski began auditioning for Disney and iCarly roles, but she was often typecast as a bully or cheerleader and bigger roles did not materialize.

She attended San Dieguito Academy, a high school in Encinitas, while modeling and acting in Los Angeles.

After two nondescript movie roles, she appeared as Gibby's girlfriend, Tasha, in two episodes of the third season of Nickelodeon's iCarly (2009–2010).

Her manager discouraged her from pursuing many acting engagements until she could be more selective.

Ratajkowski attended UCLA for one year in 2009, and dropped out, deciding to model full-time.

She later said that she found the fine art education at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture arbitrary and in conflict with her artistic concepts, and that she did not enjoy going to fraternities.

Her modeling debut was on the cover of the March 2012 issue of the erotic magazine treats!, which led to her appearance in several music videos, including Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines", which catapulted her to global fame.

After campaigns and editorials with photographer Tony Duran, Ratajkowski began shooting more fashion editorials and posed for several early issues of the artistic erotica magazine treats!, including the cover of its third issue, in March 2012.

She credits that cover for bringing her the two unsolicited, high-profile, music video roles.

Ratajkowski later filmed commercials for Nikon and Carl's Jr., including multiple versions of a 2012 Carl's Jr. commercial with Sara Jean Underwood.

She also did nude and clothed art modeling for magazines, including a May 2012 shoot with Jonathan Leder, as well as work for Frederick's of Hollywood; a 2012 holiday video and a 2011 Valentine's video in which Ratajkowski appeared for the company are among the most popular videos on the company's YouTube channel.

Previously, Ratajkowski had been cast in two other music videos: "Fast Car" by Taio Cruz, which was released on November 5, 2012, and Maroon 5's "Love Somebody", which was released two months after "Blurred Lines".

Ratajkowski worked with photographer Tony Kelly for the March 2013 GQ Turkey cover.

Ratajkowski appeared in Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell Williams's 2013 video, "Blurred Lines".

"Love Somebody", shot on January 16, and "Blurred Lines" were both produced in 2013.

The video for "Love Somebody" was released on May 21, 2013.

Directed by Rich Lee, it shows bare-chested Adam Levine using inverse green screen technology to rub paint onto Ratajkowski with his hands.

Ratajkowski's feature film debut was a supporting role as the mistress of Ben Affleck's character in the film Gone Girl (2014).

She appeared in the 2014 and 2015 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, and made her professional catwalk modeling debut for Marc Jacobs at New York Fashion Week in 2015.

She has also walked on the runways of Paris Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week.

For her international Vogue covers and high fashion campaigns, Models.com ranks her as one of the new generation of supermodels.

Ratajkowski is an advocate for women's health issues as a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood.

As a self-identified feminist, Ratajkowski has received both support and criticism for her views on sexual expression.

Her essay collection, My Body, was published by Metropolitan Books in November 2021 and was on the New York Times Bestseller list.