Emily Ratajkowski has claimed she didn’t come forward with claims Robin Thicke groped her on the set of Blurred Lines out of fears for her career.
The model and activist got her big break after starring in the controversial 2013 film clip which saw Ratajkowski, who starred alongside two other models, appear topless, alongside a fully-clothed Thicke, TI and Pharrell Williams.
However, last week an excerpt of her upcoming book My Body emerged which contained allegations singer Thicke touched her bare breasts on the set of the music video.
Speaking about why she chose to speak about the alleged incident now, she told People magazine: ‘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.’
Ratajkowski insisted her perspective has changed as she’s grown as a person over the years, adding: ‘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.’
She wrote, as first reported by The Sunday Times: ‘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.
‘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?”‘
Ratajkowski continued: ‘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.’
While the music clip was intended to subvert power dynamics, despite causing controversy amid claims it perpetuated rape culture, Ratajkowski wrote: ‘With that one gesture, Robin Thicke had reminded everyone on set that we women weren’t actually in charge. I didn’t have any real power as the naked girl dancing around in his music video. I was nothing more than the hired mannequin.’
Director Martel confirmed she witnessed the alleged incident and immediately wrapped the shoot.
She said in an interview: ‘I remember the moment that he grabbed her breasts. One in each hand. He was standing behind her as they were both in profile. I screamed in my very aggressive Brooklyn voice, “What the f*** are you doing, that’s it!! The shoot is over!!”‘
Martel claimed Thicke apologised, and she insisted: ‘I don’t think he would have done this had he been sober.’
Ratajkowski voiced frustration that while the book is her own words, she didn’t publicly release the excerpt herself.
Speaking to Extra, she said: ‘It’s been hard for me, I mean, I really like to have control over my image. And I wrote this book of essays to share the whole story, and all sides of it.
‘And I feel like it just turns into a clickbait frenzy and all of a sudden, words like “sexual assault” and “allegations” are getting thrown around rather than people reading the actual essay. So again, I’m just looking forward to when people will be able to hear things in my own words.’
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