Ladies First Podcast with Laura Brown Episode 4: Emily Ratajkowski on Ownership

About Ladies First with Laura Brown

We love to honor women who show up and get the job done, so now we're going to talk about it — and to the ladies doing the work. Hosted by InStyle's editor in chief Laura Brown, Ladies First with Laura Brown will feature guests like Michelle Pfeiffer, Emily Ratajkowski, Cynthia Erivo, Naomi Watts, La La Anthony, Ellen Pompeo, Storm Reid, and more. One thing these ladies all have in common (other than being total badasses)? They're all trailblazers who were the first to accomplish something in their field — whether that be earning the highest salary for an actress on TV or landing the first cover of People's "Most Beautiful" issue.

Tune in every week to hear Brown and her special guests discuss current events, politics, some fashion, and, most importantly, the major firsts in their lives.

Emily Ratajkowski On Ownership: Episode 4: December 22, 2020

The model, actress, and mother-to-be shot to fame after appearing in Robin Thicke's music video for "Blurred Lines." It wasn't long before Ratajkowski began booking jobs — like her roles in Gone Girl, We Are Your Friends, and I Feel Pretty alongside Amy Schumer. Most recently she penned a brilliant Vogue essay on her thoughts on gender reveals. (The article also broke the news of her pregnancy.)

Ratajkowski sat down with InStyle's Laura Brown to speak about her career and life as a sex symbol, which she says has both lent itself to her feeling powerful, and come with certain challenges. She says that pregnancy and motherhood will not change how she conveys her image.

"I like feeling connected to my body by wearing clothes that are maybe tighter and I'm certainly not changing during pregnancy," she tells Brown. "I'm still working on my book. I'm still wearing bikinis, and it doesn't have to change. I don't have to go into hiding because I'm pregnant."

She also opened up about working to regain control of her image, which she felt she had lost once she started booking big-time gigs.

"One of the things that I was feeling as a model and as an actress — really you are a pawn in someone else's game," she says. "You are their vision. When you get to set, you let them do your hair, your makeup, dress you and photograph and light you however they want. And you really don't get to have a say in it, especially when you're first starting out. And, so I think that through Instagram was one of the first ways that I started to feel like, 'Oh, I'm in control. I can put my image out there how I want to be.'"

Listen to the full episode and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. This episode of Ladies First with Laura Brown is sponsored by Neutrogena.