Ratajkowski was born in the
London borough of
Westminster,
the daughter of American parents. Her mother, Kathleen (Balgley), is a
professor of English and a writer, whom Ratajkowski has described as a
"feminist and intellectual".
Her father, John David Ratajkowski, is a painter and art teacher.
Her father is of Polish and Irish descent,
and her mother is of Polish Jewish and Irish-German descent.
Ratajkowski was raised in
Encinitas,
California. She lived in and travelled to many parts of Europe at a young age and spent much of her childhood in
Bantry in
Ireland, and
Mallorca.
Ratajkowski was signed by
Ford Models at age 14. She continued to attend high school in
San Diego at San Dieguito Academy, while she modelled and acted in
Los Angeles.
She attended University of California, Los Angeles (
UCLA) for one year, then decided to pursue her career in modelling full-time.
