Just days after Emily Ratajkowski accused Robin Thicke of groping her while on the set of the Blurred Lines music video in 2013, she’s getting even more candid about the experience — and why she waited years to address the controversy.
The 30-year-old model sat down with People at the CoinGeek Conference cocktail party this week to explain her hesitancy to come forward with the allegations when the incident first occurred, sharing:
“I was an unknown model and if I had spoken out or complained, I would not be where I am today; I would not be famous.”
Wow… The I Feel Pretty actress wouldn’t be the first woman to fear sharing her truth because of unjust power dynamics either. Sounds like she did the math and decided she didn’t want to give up her big break because of some jerk’s bad behavior — and that’s exactly what she figured would happen. So sad.
Now that she has made a name for herself, she’s not longer staying silent — and her decision to come forward isn’t just because she wants Robin to own up to what he allegedly did, but because she wants to seek important change in society at large.
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Ratajkowski admitted that the last few years have changed her perspective on the incident:
“I wrote a book about the evolution of my politics and that includes a lot of different experiences from my career and my life and the way that I felt and thought about those experiences have evolved. I hope people are able to read the essay and understand the nuance behind these kinds of situations.”
Over the weekend, an excerpt of her upcoming book My Body was published by The Sunday Times, in which the model wrote about the emotional and traumatizing moment Thicke allegedly groped her while she was naked for the uncensored version of his controversial music video. She recalled:
“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.”
Reading the essay, it didn’t sound like the 44-year-old regretted his decision, the piece continued:
“He smiled a goofy grin and stumbled backward, his eyes concealed behind his sunglasses. My head turned to the darkness beyond the set. [The director, Diane Martel‘s] voice cracked as she yelled out to me, ‘Are you okay?’”
The director stood up for Emily by confirming the allegations with the outlet, saying:
“I screamed in my very aggressive Brooklyn voice, ‘What the f**k are you doing, that’s it!! The shoot is over!!’ Robin sheepishly apologized. As if he knew it was wrong without understanding how it might have felt for Emily.”
Because “everything had been very sweet and enjoyable” until that shocking moment, it crossed a major line and the director threatened to have the entire production shut down. But the young model insisted things continue, Diane recalled:
“[She] was very professional and said we could go on.”
Recalling that humiliating moment, Ratajkowski remembered feeling “desperate to minimize” the severity of the situation, which is why she was eager for production to continue.
“I pushed my chin forward and shrugged, avoiding eye contact, feeling the heat of humiliation pump through my body. I didn’t react — not really, not like I should have.”
Robin and his team have yet to address the controversy since it made headlines on Sunday.
Related: Emily Ratajkowski Compares Herself To Britney Spears After Trolls Call Her A ‘S**tty Mom’
While Emily understands the situation is “complicated,” she seems more determined to share her vulnerable story in hopes of creating lasting change for women in the future. She told People:
“I think all women, we all play the game, capitalizing off of your image, commodifying their body, that’s the world that we live in and I would never tell a woman that she shouldn’t but I also would hope that they understand that that’s sort of a double-edged sword.”
Aside from sharing her story, the momma of 6-month-old Sylvester “Sly” Apollo, who she shares with husband Sebastian Bear-McClard, is raising her son to be a fierce feminist, she explained:
“I would like the way that we think about women and men to change and the power dynamics that are unspoken, to change.”
We’d love to see that too! It’s so brave of Emily to speak out on this unfortunate (alleged) moment. We’re sure it was not easy. To read more, My Body will be available on November 9.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
[Image via MEGA/WENN/Avalon & Robin Thicke/YouTube]
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