1 of 3 | Emily Ratajkowski attends the Cannes International Film Festival screening of "Loveless" on May 18. The model discussed her sexuality and feminism in the August issue of Allure. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI |
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July 19 (UPI) -- Emily Ratajkowski says embracing her sexuality was an empowering experience.
The 26-year-old model and actress said in the August issue of Allure that she found strength in ignoring conventions and defining her sexuality for herself.
"I found my sexuality and my identity. I found empowerment through that," Ratajkowski told the magazine after denying her perception of sexuality was formed by patriarchy.
"To me, any expression that is empowered and is your own as a woman is feminist," she said. "If a women decides to dress sexy, it doesn't mean she's not a feminist. [We] should be doing things for ourselves. If that is the woman's choice, and it makes her feel good, then that's great. Good for her."
Ratajkowski sometimes expresses her sexuality by sharing revealing photos on social media, such as the topless selfie she and Kim Kardashian posed for in March 2016. She said she doesn't understand why critics take such issue with breasts.
"It really bothers me that people are so offended by breasts," the star confessed. "That's when I realized how [expletive] our culture is. When we see breasts, we don't think of beauty and femininity. We think of vulgar, oversexualized images."
Ratajkowski came to fame after appearing in Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" music video, and has since starred in the movie We Are Your Friends. She said in the August issue of Harper's Bazaar that she loses out on roles because of her appearance.
"There's this thing that happens to me: 'Oh, she's too sexy,'" the actress told the publication. "It's like an anti-women thing, that people don't want to work with me because my boobs are too big."
"What's wrong with boobs?" she responded. "They're a beautiful feminine thing that needs to be celebrated. Like, who cares? They are great big, they are great small. Why should that be an issue?"