An intimate photobook of the actress, taken by Jonathan Leder, has allegedly been published without her permission
Emily Ratajkowski has taken to Twitter to express her outrage at the misuse of some nude Jonathan Leder-shot photos of her from 2012.
Leder planned to use the photos for an exhibition at New York’s Castor Gallery in February 2017, and published them in a book named Leder/Ratajkowski (currently being sold for $80). In the book’s foreword, the photographer writes, “We shot for two nights in the Cape House in Woodstock, NY. Just her and I. I think the results speak for themselves. I will say it was a very lovely shoot. She was very, shall we say, comfortable with her body and as far as shoots go, I would say it was fun.” He also wrote how he thought she was “not gonna go too far with that name” but changed his opinion after seeing pictures of her prior to their shoot.
The model and Gone Girl actress reacted angrily to the publication of the images, taking to Twitter to state that “the book and the images within them are a violation”. Ratajkowski also spoke of how the photos were used improperly – “Five out of the now 100s of released photos were used for what they were intended: an artful magazine shoot back in 2012.” She claimed she had not voiced her disapproval up until now because she didn’t want to give Leder the extra publicity.
She continued: “I signed no release & was not paid. That said, the legal side of this is private and I would appreciate it if people waited to base their opinions on facts rather than speculation or assumptions.” She finished with the empowering tweet: “My body. My choice.”
See all the tweets below:
I've been resisting speaking publicly on the recently released photos by Jonathan Leder to avoid giving him publicity. But I've had enough
— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) November 30, 2016
These photos being used w/out my permission is an example of exactly the opposite of what I stand for:
— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) November 30, 2016
women choosing when and how they want to share their sexuality and bodies.
— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) November 30, 2016
To be clear: I signed no release & was not paid. That said, the legal side of this is private and I would appreciate it if people waited...
— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) December 1, 2016
...to base their opinions on facts rather than speculation or assumptions.
— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) December 1, 2016
My body, my choice.
— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) December 1, 2016
Emily Ratajkowski has become a well-known advocate for sexual freedom. A few months ago, she posed with Kim Kardashian in a topless photo, which was posted in protest against the accusations that Kim was using nudity as a marketing tool. The actress also penned an essay for Glamour magazine explaining her distaste at the way in which women are judged based on their sexuality and men are not. “As women we are accused of seeking attention more than men are, whether for speaking out politically, as I did, for dressing a certain way, or for even posting a selfie,” she wrote.
“The ideal feminist world shouldn’t be one where women suppress their human instincts for attention and desire,” she concluded. “We shouldn’t be weighed down with the responsibility of explaining our every move. We shouldn’t have to apologise for wanting attention either. We don’t owe anyone an explanation. It’s not our responsibility to change the way we are seen – it’s society’s responsibility to change the way it sees us.”