Emily Ratajkowski Explains Why She Feels Like She Can't 'Casually Date' in the Public Eye

Emily Ratajkowski is opening up about her love life.

Over the past several months, the 31-year-old model’s dating life has made headlines following her split from husband Sebastian Bear-McClard.

During a new episode of her podcast High Low, Emily explained why she feels like she can’t “casually date” as someone in the public eye.

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“It feels pretty weird to be watched,” Emily said about the paparazzi. “I’ve said this before on the podcast, but this is basically my first time being single since I was 14, so a.k.a. ever, and definitely as an adult.”

She continued, “When I was in my 20s, I was kind of too afraid of the world and afraid of men, to really date. I remember going on a couple of dates like at 20, and in between relationships for brief, kind of moments, and feeling super uncomfortable, and not having fun with it, and so, this has been kind of my first opportunity to date and it’s been really a great experience.”

Emily went on to say that she’s not comfortable with private, intimate parts of her personal life being all over the Internet and social media.

“I’ve gone on dates where there’s been no pictures, and I’m like, ‘All good’, and then there’s been times where literally the first time that I’ve met someone, we spent 2 hours together, and there’s pictures on the Internet,” Emily explained. “My close friends will be like, ‘Dude, that guy’s stoked, like, he’s stoked. He just got photographed on a date with you.’ And then that makes me feel gross, I’m like, ‘I wouldn’t want to be with somebody who is excited to be photographed with me,’ that’s not a good sign.”

With everyone being so interested in her personal life, Emily admitted that it has made dating difficult.

“It’s also been tough because I’ve been trying to casually date and not get booed up, not get cuffed up, and it’s been hard to do that and be kind of mindful of the people that I’m seeing because I don’t necessarily want to know when they’re going on another date,” Emily shared.

“It’s been really hard, because basically, any time I go on another date, everybody knows, so the other guys I’m dating see it, and it has been kind of difficult, because of course they’re like, ‘Oh, didn’t talk to her last night,’ and then you know, there’s pictures of me out to dinner with someone else,” she added.

Emily continued, “It sucks, and it really makes it hard also, to get to know someone without those kinds of things. They know exactly where I’m at even with things that I don’t necessarily want to share, and they don’t necessarily want to know. So, that’s been a whole other aspect of just trying to keep things casual and also be cognizant of people’s feelings, and that’s been kind of tricky to navigate.”

Despite being linked to Pete Davidson, comedian Eric Andre, and artist Jack Greer, Emily maintained that she’s not dating to get back into a relationship.

“I do think that there is this kind of thing of any time I’m seen with somebody, people are like, ‘Oh, they’re in a relationship’ and it’s like, ‘What if I’m just spending time with somebody?’ I haven’t been dating for a relationship,” Emily said. “I’m definitely open to it if I met somebody who felt like they were additive to my life and I wanted to spend time with, but in general, I’ve just been trying to enjoy myself and experiences.”

As for getting back into the dating game, Emily admitted that it has given her some anxiety.

“It is so hard when you go on a date with somebody — I mean, I’m nervous! I’m nervous about this person, what they’re gonna think about me, and then I come with this thing of like, ‘There’s gonna be a million pictures of you talking or walking down the street with me,’ and I guess I do have some shame around that,” Emily explained. “It definitely makes me feel embarrassed, and then like I said, on the other side, I wouldn’t want a guy who is like, ‘Oh my god. I love that we got paparazzied last night.’”

Despite the challenges of dating in the public eye, Emily said that she’s going to continue living her life.

“And some part of me is just like, ‘Who cares? I can’t control it.’ And that’s basically where I’ve been at, which is like, ‘I cannot control this, so I’m just gonna live my life how I want to,’” Emily said.

“And almost, it’s a little bit of a denial method, but I guess that’s ultimately the thing that makes me feel the happiest, and I’m not changing what I want to do because of the way that the world is seeing me or perceiving me, but it’s been a strange experience,” Emily concluded.

During another recent episode of her podcast, Emily voiced her frustrations with a certain dating app.