Emily Ratajkowski drew criticism after posting a social media tribute to New York City’s newly inaugurated mayor, Zohran Mamdani, that some fans called “disrespectful.”
The 34-year-old model shared a multi-slide Instagram post titled “Mamdani’s New York,” which began with a video of her twerking in a bodega while wearing a see-through black skirt and an open-back crop top, celebrating the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor. The post then contrasted this with an image of Ratajkowski wearing a white head covering and long-sleeve top while visiting what appeared to be the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. A third slide featured a selfie showing her cleavage, cropped to meet social media standards, followed by a Halloween snapshot with her four-year-old son, Sylvester Apollo Bear, whom she shares with ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard.
Fans responded with mixed reactions. Some criticized the juxtaposition of the provocative bodega video with the mosque image, calling it “disrespectful” to the hijab, while others found the post humorous or applauded her versatility.
Ratajkowski has a history of political engagement, previously campaigning for Bernie Sanders in 2016 and participating in Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020. The post coincided with Mamdani’s historic inauguration on January 1, marking him as the youngest, first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born mayor of New York City.
Ratajkowski, who rose to prominence through modeling and acting, has often used her platform to combine activism with commentary on culture and politics.#newsafro_
