Happy Birthday, Emily Ratajkowski

Break out the cake…

…the balloons…

…and the streamers.

EmRata is 23 today.

(The above celebratory images are from Turkish GQ, by the way.)

Back in July, when I first wrote about Emily, I said that she’d be a great addition if they could capture her “casual, almost sardonic attitude” that she exhibited in the “Blurred Lines” video.

I’m not sure they quite pulled it off. This photo, for instance:

She has the plump-lipped smirk and the level stare. But the irony isn’t as effective when you’re in a decidedly non-ironic mirrored bikini with a placid body of water and a couple of Caribbean mountains behind you.

Emily seems to want to distance herself from the swimsuit model realm, as evidenced by some of her quotes in this article.

“I’m definitely not into that swimsuit model vibe. I like the ballet and I like to see female porn films.”

I’m not sure what “female porn” is, unless maybe she’s referring to some of that erotica that’s produced by and for women? In any case, even more confusing is why an enjoyment of ballet would imply that you’re not, at heart, a swimsuit model.

She’s got a role in an upcoming David Fincher movie, “Gone Girl,” and it sounds like she sees the music videos and bikinis as a launching pad to different vistas. More power to her, but, as a favor to me, please don’t see “Gone Girl.” The book was abysmal, and I want bad things to happen to it.

Anyway, she’s hot, there’s no denying that.

I noticed that her casting call from April of 2013 has 101 comments! Most Swim Daily posts don't get any at all, so that's a testament to her celebrity. I think I have a hard time separating her pre-SI celebrity from my appreciation of her photos, though. She still has the feel of a guest star, like an athlete or a Beyonce.