Emily Ratajkowski reveals pregnancy – and says ‘we won’t know the gender until our child is 18’

Emily Ratajkowski has announced she is expecting her first child – and says she will not reveal her baby’s gender.

The model and actress, 29, shared footage of her bump, filmed for Vogue magazine, on her Instagram page.

“I’ll cherish this video as long as I live,” she said.

Ratajkowski, who married husband Sebastian Bear-McClard in 2018, said she wrote and filmed the video herself and it was shot at home, directed by TV writer Lena Dunham.

In an accompanying essay written for Vogue, the star explained why she does not want to reveal the child’s gender.

“We like to respond that we won’t know the gender until our child is 18 and that they’ll let us know then,” she said.

“Everyone laughs at this. There is a truth to our line, though, one that hints at possibilities that are much more complex than whatever genitalia our child might be born with: the truth that we ultimately have no idea who – rather than what – is growing inside my belly.

“Who will this person be? What kind of person will we become parents to? How will they change our lives and who we are? This is a wondrous and terrifying concept, one that renders us both helpless and humbled.”

Ratajkowski, who rose to fame starring in the music video for chart-topper Blurred Lines and whose film roles include Gone Girl and In Darkness, wrote about Bear-McClard’s thoughts on having a girl.

“I do worry a girl will have a lot to live up to as your daughter,” he said.

But writing about potentially having a son, she said: “I’ve known far too many white men who move through the world unaware of their privilege, and I’ve been traumatised by many of my experiences with them.

“And boys too; it’s shocking to realise how early young boys gain a sense of entitlement – to girls’ bodies and to the world in general. I’m not scared of raising a ‘bad guy’, as many of the men I’ve known who abuse their power do so unintentionally.

“But I’m terrified of inadvertently cultivating the carelessness and the lack of awareness that are so convenient for men. It feels much more daunting to create an understanding of privilege in a child than to teach simple black-and-white morality.

“How do I raise a child who learns to like themself while also teaching them about their position of power in the world?”