Sebastian Bear-McClard

Emily O'Hara Ratajkowski was born June 7, 1991 in Westminster, London, the only child of American school teachers Kathleen Anne Balgley and John David "J.D." Ratajkowski. She was raised in the San Diego suburb of Encinitas, California. She attended UCLA for a year before dropping out to model full-time. Her father was raised Roman Catholic, whereas her mother is Jewish. Ratajkowski has stated that she ethnically identifies herself as "Polish-Israeli", as her ancestors made aliyah to Israel from Eastern Europe. She also has Irish ancestry. She also spent her summers during her youth in Bantry, Co.Cork where the family holidayed.

Ratajkowski tried soccer, acting, and ballet before modeling. She participated in a few local theater productions as a child and young teen. Exposure to the nude female figure in photography and art during her formative years, including the work of her father and the photography of Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts, prepared Ratajkowski for nude work. She has said, "We have this culture of men, especially, watching pornography, but then offended by a classic nude portrait or photograph, and I've never felt that way." She was also influenced by third-wave feminism and works such as The Beauty Myth and Promiscuities by Naomi Wolf.