Emily Ratajkowski Sends a Powerful Message to Young Girls in Throwback Bikini Photo

Back in 2013, we were first introduced to Emily Ratajkowski as the nude brunette in Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" music video, and, from there, she maintained her image as a sex symbol with countless naked Instagram posts and provocative photo shoots. But now, reflecting back on it all, the model wishes she didn't hold her sexuality in such high regard when she was a teenager.

On Saturday, EmRata posted a throwback bikini photo of herself at age 14 and included an inspiring message for the next generation of young girls. “I used to like showing people this photo of me at 14 to prove that my body is natural,” the 28-year-old explained. “Now I’m a little sad it exists at all. I was just a kid in this picture and I wish the world had encouraged my 14-year-old self to be more than just my body.”

“All of that said, I do still feel like I’ve been empowered through my body and my sexuality via modeling and platforms like Instagram,” Ratajkowski continued. “Luckily I have discovered the parts of me that are so much more important than ‘sexiness,’ but if you’re a 14-year-old girl reading this, don’t worry about any of that for now.”

She concluded her powerful note by addressing today's teens directly: “Read lots of books and know that what you see on Instagram is just a very small fraction of complete and beautifully complex human beings.”

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In June, Ratajkowski spoke to People about feeling "ashamed" of her body when she was younger, but that's she finally come "full circle." “I developed super young. I was criticized, so at 13 I felt really ashamed of my body,” she said, adding: “I’ve come full circle, and now I’m like, ‘Do your thing.' I really want young girls to see that and feel that way about themselves.”

Hats off to Emily for her never-ending inspiration.