Sizzling Nude Bar Rafaeli..Commentary

Naked and Controversial

[video below]

The hottest part of a naked Bar Rafeli video making the You Tube rounds is the comments section.  Stick a nude music video of a supermodel up on YouTube and you’d expect some misogynist, lewd, perverse and creepy comments.

But when the supermodel is ISRAELI, and Jewish, the comments can take on a whole other, um, complexion. It’s not enough to discuss a beautiful woman, the commenters have to bring in her religion, her country’s politics, the history of the Jewish people…. do they do that with Gisele Bundchen? 

The black and white video, part of a promotion for an art exhibit sponsored by the Israeli company SuperPharm, features top model Rafaeli, a native of Hod HaSharon north of Tel Aviv, provocatively lolling around on a couch to the strain of PJ Harvey’s “Dear Darkness.” It went up on YouTube two days ago and hs already attracted over 330,000 views.

But it’s not just a video, it’s a Rorschach Test on public attitudes toward Israel, Israeli and Jews. Some people look at Bar Rafaeli and see a stunning woman, or Leo DiCaprio’s ex, or breasts and legs, but others—a lot of others judging by the comments—see occupation, injustice, der Sturmer caracatures… the usual.

The comments.  Oy, the comments.

“this girl doesn’t look jewish, probably she is mixed. real jewish girls are ugly like shit,” said one.

“you are a racist, ignorant piece of shit” came the response.  Then this string:

“all of you racists ..keep jealouse
jewish are the best talents and the most successful people on earth”

“Non of them are rabbis. Most successful people on Earth would be Europeans and Americans with German ancestry…”

Then came more comments on Israel. Arguments.  Etc.

Even some pro-Israel types weigh in with their complaints:  “WHY DONT YOU SERVE IN IDF , instead of creating damn porn ads. Poor taste for ISRAELI Artist .....”

Hey, what about the pretty woman on the couch?

There will always be some people who prefer to hate, to stereotype, to use every opportunity to bash and demean. To look at Bar Rafaeli and just feel hate and anger—poor poor souls.

But it happens every time pretty Israeli women splash into pop culture, which is happening more and more often these days, as Danielle Berrin blogged:

The April issue of Esquire magazine establishes an entirely old, but newly realized fact: Israeli women are stunning.

In honor of supermodel Bar Refaeli’s first Sports Illustrated cover, Esquire devoted their regular “Women We Love” feature to their five Israeli favorites.

Besides being Israeli (and maybe even a little bit Jewish) all five women appear to share Hollywood ambition, either blond or brown hair, and clock in at a tender age under 32. If the embattled Jewish state ever needed an image boost, this is it. Helen of Troy ain’t got squat on these gals.

True, but as much as women like Bar Raphaeli may help soften the mage of Israel, they also bring out the kooks—why is that?