Emily Ratajkowski recalls 'sexist' backlash over 2016 dress: 'Somebody called it extremely vulgar'

Emily Ratajkowski is looking back on the 2016 uproar over a dress many claimed was too "vulgar."

The model, actress and author sat down for a video interview with Harper's Bazaar and called the black dress with a plunging neckline, which was made by Welsh fashion designer Julien McDonald, "probably the most controversial dress I've ever worn."

"I can remember somebody called it extremely vulgar," Ratajkowski, 31, said of the dress, which she wore to the 2016 Harper's Bazaar Icons Party. "And like, it became a huge controversy on the internet and some of my agents were mad at me because they thought it was too sexy and whatever."

Ratajkowski didn't take the criticism sitting down, however, and fired back at the person who criticized her.

"I basically called the person who said it was a vulgar dress sexist, and there was drama," she shared.

Looking back on the experience, Ratajkowski said she was largely clueless about the impact the dress would have at the time.

"I was in my 20s and just, like, hadn't registered that it was so sexy because there is a panel in the middle, but it looks like there isn't," she recalled. "Yeah, it caused this whole thing."

Despite the criticism, she maintains her affinity for the revealing look.

"I still like that dress. I still think I look great," she explained. "I was basically called out for wanting attention, which I think is interesting, because you go to red carpets for attention, basically. Essentially it's part of your job as a celebrity."

Ratajkowski has long spoken out about the impact of sexism on society. In a discussion about gender equality with designer Tory Burch at the 10th Annual Forbes Power Women's Summit, the My Body author spoke about the ways sexism affects all genders.

"I always say that sexism is bad for everyone, including men. I think toxic masculinity is a huge issue and we feel the ramifications of that, but also, men live with that as well," she shared. "As somebody who has a son, I think about that a lot. It's, for me, very important to expand that conversation to men."

Ratajkowski is mom to 1-year-old Sylvester, whom she shares with her ex, Sebastian Bear-McClard. She filed for divorce from Bear-McClard in September.

In her book My Body, Ratajkowski examined her relationship with "men in power," and questioned whether they understood the complex gender dynamics they were enforcing.

"Sometimes they are aware, but I don’t think they understand what they need to do differently," the Gone Girl actress explained. "I think it's really, really crucial to include men in those conversations. I don't think feminism should be a word that means that we're just talking to ourselves."

Ratajkowski has also recognized that she has profited from her own sex appeal, however.

"I'm not trying to shake accountability. But I also don't think I would have sold as many books had I not done that. That's the way the world works. I mean, we all participate in systems that we don't agree with," she told Harper's Bazaar. "I completely understand that sexualizing myself and putting images out into the world that reinforce the beauty standard is difficult."

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