Emily Ratajkowski Explains Why She Entered Several Relationships In The Past

Emily Ratajkowski said she entered several relationships in the past because being with a man somehow made her feel "safe."

Ratajkowski recently revealed that her split with ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard ushered in a new era where she is "single for the first time." Then, during a recent interview with "Today" hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, the 31-year-old model and actress explained why she dated several men.

"I think it was a way for me to protect myself," she said in Wednesday's interview. "I was entering a really crazy industry and working in a really crazy industry where I think now we can accept that there are a lot of predatory, scary men."

The "Blurred Lines" music video star also shared that being in a relationship satisfied her desire "to be loved" and receive "validation."

"And it's not bad," she said. "But it's really nice to be — I'm 31, and I have a little one, and I have this career — just kind like doing my own thing."

In response, Kotb quoted Tracee Ellis Ross' words. "'I spent my life waiting to be chosen and then it hit me, I am the chooser'...I feel like that is what's happening to you," she told Ratajkowski.

The "My Body" author agreed and revealed that she was once a "pick-me girl," a viral social media phrase that refers to a woman who claims that she is unlike any other woman in order to gain attention from men.

"I was a 'pick-me girl,'" Ratajkowski admitted.

"What are you now?" Hager asked her.

"Can we curse on this show?" Ratajkowski asked before she, Kotb and Hager broke into laughter.

"I've been joking that I'm in my B era," she continued, eventually censoring herself. "I like that word because I feel like I'm reappropriating it. It has a negative connotation. But for me, it's like, 'No, no, it's a good thing! I don't put up with s--t."

Earlier this week, the "Welcome Home" actress revealed the type of men she could not stand.

"There are babies, there are monsters, and then there are baby monsters. The babies are the men who need to be tended to and reassured at every turn," she explained.

"The monsters who are like, 'Sorry that your mom died but want to come over?' And then the third is the worst... and those are the men that I can't handle. They need reassurance, they need to be cradled and suckle at the teeth. But then they're also like, 'Leave me alone though, woman,'" she said in the latest episode of her podcast, "High Low with EmRata," which aired Monday.