Emily Ratajkowski says she was ‘relieved’ to have a son instead of daughter - here’s why

Emily Ratajkowski has said that she was “relieved” to have a son not a daughter because she worried about how female children are “sexualised”.

In a conversation with author Lisa Taddeo that was published in Elle, the model - who gave birth to her first child Sylvester Apollo Bear in March this year - said while she “initially” wanted a daughter, she was “so relieved” when she realised she was having a son.

She said: “I wanted a daughter initially, but when I found out I was having a son, I was so relieved. Because I think that it would bring up — I want more children, so it might be something I deal with later — being sexualized way before puberty and being aware of it.

“I have a memory: I did a sexy move down the wall of my parents’ kitchen. I was probably in first grade and my parents were like, ‘Where did you learn that?” I was like, “I fricking learned it. That’s what women do.’”

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The model was speaking ahead of the publication of her her upcoming essay collection My Body, scheduled for release on 9 November 9.

Speaking about how society treats women she added that her mother had taught her an “internalised male gaze”, something she thinks “all young women need to unlearn”.

She also said that when women give birth, they “go from child to sex object to mother”, and so she was unsure if she wanted to end her book by discussing motherhood.

She changed her mind because giving birth “was one of the most powerful physical experiences” she said.

“Being in a room and trusting my body—even though there are people around me who say that they know it better than me or that they have a right to it in some way—was hugely impactful.”