According to the New York Post, there was a disturbing emphasis on Emily Ratajkowski's looks pretty much from the time she was born, with the doctor who delivered her even bringing his children in to marvel at how stunning she was.

At 14, Ratajkowski started modeling, which made her parents immensely proud. She had been attracting noticeable male attention from the age of 12, and her mother actually encouraged it, teaching Ratajkowski the best ways to attract boys. 

"I was a child, but somehow already an expert in detecting male desire, even if I didn't completely understand what to make of it," the model reveals. Her mother even proudly displayed a sexy shot of the teenage girl in the house so that anyone coming in would see it first thing, which embarrassed Ratajkowski, she said.

Although her looks gradually brought her fame and money, it slowly dawned on the model and actress that she was indebted to men. "Facing the reality of the dynamics at play would have meant admitting how limited my power really was — how limited any woman's power is when she survives and even succeeds in the world as a thing to be looked at," she said. 

It took a long time for her to understand what was truly important, and, eventually, Ratajkowski even found the strength to ask her mother to take the photo down. "It doesn't represent you anymore," her mother responded. But she tellingly added: "You're more beautiful than that now."