Her modeling debut was on the cover of the March 2012 issue of the erotic magazine treats!, which led to her appearance in several music videos, including Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines", which catapulted her to global fame.

She appeared in the 2014 and 2015 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, and made her professional catwalk modeling debut for Marc Jacobs at New York Fashion Week in 2015.

[9][10] Emily O'Hara Ratajkowski was born June 7, 1991[6] in Westminster, London, the only child of American school teachers Kathleen Anne Balgley and John David "J.D."

[44] Directed by Rich Lee, it shows bare-chested Adam Levine using inverse green screen technology to rub paint onto Ratajkowski with his hands.

cover that The New York Times's Bee Shapiro described as "an artfully composed black-and-white photograph of Ms. Ratajkowski sitting completely nude with her knees tucked to her chest" and convinced director Diane Martel to cast her in the "Blurred Lines" music video.

[29] "Blurred Lines" was controversial: its video was called sexist for its perceived degradation of women,[50] and some felt its lyrics promoted rape.

[78] Ratajkowski was on the July 2013 cover of CR Fashion Book, which included erotic scenes with Karlie Kloss and male models, photographed by Bruce Weber.

[82] Days after Gone Girl's September 26, 2014, New York Film Festival premiere,[83][84] Ratajkowski became the cover model for the November 2014 issue of Cosmopolitan.

[91] Ratajkowski co-starred in the 2015 film Entourage as a fictionalized version of herself,[33][92] playing the love interest of Adrian Grenier's character, Vincent Chase.

[93] Her performance received critical commentary ranging from "less than compelling", by The Hollywood Reporter's Sheri Linden, to "uncanny realism", by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Steven Rea.

[101][102] Ratajkowski earned her first leading role, opposite Zac Efron, in We Are Your Friends,[103] a musical drama released in August 2015, and was part of the film's promotional tour to Europe and North America.

[104] Starting with the August 11 London premiere,[105][106] this tour marked her ascension as a style icon as she earned multiple best dressed citations from various sources.

[114] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph and Grantland's Morris noted Ratajkowski's rhythmic dancing skills and sex appeal, as previously seen in "Blurred Lines".

[122][123] The British GQ cover story was photographed by Mario Testino, who produced a short film featuring Ratajkowski for the magazine's website.

[136] Los Angeles-based jewelry designer Jacquie Aiche featured Ratajkowski in a spring 2016 campaign wearing almost nothing but body chains, rings, bracelets, pendants, and chokers.

[140][141][142] After seeing her in the "Blurred Lines" video Ben Affleck picked her to play the mistress of his character, in David Fincher's 2014 adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl.

[143] The San Diego Union-Tribune described Ratajkowski's performance as "nuanced",[59] while Andrew O'Hehir of Salon and Wesley Morris of Grantland wrote that her small role as a "duplicitous and manipulative former student" was critical.

In their respective reviews of the film, critics Richard Roeper and Wesley Morris said that Ratajkowski, again playing the attractive object of affection, failed to demonstrate acting prowess.

[148] Ratajkowski was one of five models to appear on the August 2016 Vogue Germany alternate covers along with Stella Maxwell, Irina Shayk, Lily Aldridge, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

[150] The cover story, which was shot by Carter Smith and includes an essay by Ratajkowski, says she has become known as an activist who considers being both sexual and serious to be non-conflicting ambitions.

[168][169] Later that month she was announced as the feature of cover stories in the August issues of Allure[170][171] and British Glamour,[172] as well as a nude Patrick Demarchelier photospread for Love magazine.

[184][181] On November 9, Harper's Bazaar UK published a story about Ratajkowski's impending release of her own swimwear brand after Emrata Holdings LLC acquired the trademark to Inamorata in August and she left a trail of breadcrumbs on social media.

[200] Her role, which was described as "pivotal" by USA Today critic Bryan Alexander,[201] included ad libbed improvisational comedy.

[206] The following week, Vertical Entertainment released the film Cruise, which was written and directed by Robert Siegel, and in which Ratajkowski played the female lead opposite Spencer Boldman.

[224][225] In 2014, artist Richard Prince appropriated one of Ratajkowski's Instagram posts without her consent, and included the resulting painting in a show at the Gagosian Gallery in New York.

for The Cut in September 2020, reiterating that she never gave consent for the photographs to be used beyond their initial publication in Darius magazine, and stating that Leder sexually assaulted her after the photoshoot.

[238] Ratajkowski has raised funds,[239] done public service announcements,[240] and committed to a being in a short film promoting reproductive and sexual health for Planned Parenthood.

[243][244][245] One of the main points of her speech, and her social media activity surrounding it, was to counter Gloria Steinem's statement that young female Sanders supporters were involved in the campaign to meet potential male romantic partners.

[260] Salon's Erin Coulehan described the essay's identification of a societal catch-22, in which showcasing female sexuality that may "offend, excite, or create envy" leads to criticism and body shaming.

[278][279] On February 23, 2018, Ratajkowski announced on Instagram that she had married actor and producer Sebastian Bear-McClard, her boyfriend of several weeks, in a New York City courthouse wedding.