Emily Ratajkowski Has Some Advice For Her Younger Self

Emily Ratajkowski is an open book. From her memoir, "My Body," which came out in 2021, to her podcast, "High Low with EmRata," the actor and model is known for speaking her mind. Still, in 2024, she wants to turn inward.

"I would like this year to be a bit more private in the sense that I want to do a lot of internal work on myself," Ratajkowski tells POPSUGAR. In 2023, her podcast released multiple episodes a week and the overarching theme of the year was just to have fun. As a result, some other personal goals and projects fell by the wayside. She admits that she didn't read nearly as many books as she did in the year prior and "spent way more time on TikTok," which, let's be honest, sometimes we just need. "But I would just like to go back into more of a quieter, introspective space for 2024."

Ahead, Ratajkowski talks more about what turning inward looks like for her, the fragrance she's been loving lately, and advice for her younger self.

Living in a quieter space looks a little different for everyone. For Ratajkowski, it involves spending time with her son, Sylvester, writing more, and finding small, meditative moments in busy, everyday life.

"Sly has really made me more present and appreciative because he's changing so quickly that I'm sort of like, 'Holy shit, life is going by,'" Ratajkowski says. Though it applies to all areas of life, when it comes to how it's changed her feelings on aging, she says, "If I don't enjoy my body and my face, and if I'm just so critical, life will pass me by, and I don't want that."

As many parents with young children know, private moments are hard to come by. For Ratajkowski, getting ready in the morning became a brief escape and opportunity for self-care.

"It was just this meditative quiet time where I'm not on my phone and I'm not thinking about whatever, and I've come to really value that process," she says. "[Beauty and fashion] are tools to make me feel good about myself." As someone who loves to experiment with her hair and makeup, Ratajkowski's look is largely dependent on how she's feeling or how she wants to feel that day. "I just try to really take a second and be like, OK, what do I want to feel like today? Am I comfortable? Am I kicking ass and wearing heels? What's the vibe?"

Another way that Ratajkowski likes to express herself is through fragrance. Though she admittedly doesn't wear it every day, she likes to reach for perfume for special occasions and is excited to partner with Viktor & Rolf for the launch of the new Flowerbomb Tiger Lily ($145). With fresh notes of coconut milk, tiger lily, and mango, this warm, tropical perfume deeply resonates with Ratajkowski.

"I grew up in North County, San Diego, very close to the beach, and I just grew up wearing a bikini — very much in beach culture," she says. That's why, in her signature look, you can almost always find elements of that sun-kissed vibe, be it bronzed skin, rosy cheeks, or even some faux-freckles. With this fragrance, "I immediately feel like I'm transported to a beach after a long day of being in the sun and dipping in salt water."

Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb line is also close to her heart because one of her best friends wore it, and one whiff brings back a lifetime of memories. That's the thing with fragrance — it can take you somewhere, "even when you're in the dead of winter and in New York and very far from that feeling." To her, Flowerbomb Tiger Lily smells like a girl's trip to Mexico wrapped up in a bottle. Picture the beach, a margarita in hand, and "that fun of getting ready together," she says.

As much as Ratajkowski likes to experiment with fashion and beauty, she prefers to steer clear of trends. "I've made the mistake of trying them before," she says. "What makes me happy is just knowing that I look good." She knows what does and doesn't make her feel comfortable, and sticking within those parameters makes her feel her most confident.

Ratajkowski learned this the hard way. If she could give her younger self any piece of advice, it'd be to never touch her brows. "I've been on a journey with my eyebrows," she says, recalling that she tweezed them far too much in the '90s and 2000s (like many others) and even had her cousin shave them at one point. That said, we all make mistakes, which is also something she'd like to impart to her younger self. "I was so hard on myself, and I get it, it's what we do, but God, it's so not nice."