Apparently the First Lady of Israel attended a political ceremony last week wearing a black lacy dress with a few sheer sections that partially exposed her shoulders and midriff. The obvious thing to do, then, if you are a member of the Israeli media, is to body- and slut-shame her for it.
In Hebrew-language daily Yediot Ahronot, Shelly Gross declared, “It’s unanimous: the stomach-revealing dress was a mistake,” and took the opportunity to remind readers that they should opt for an outfit that’s tight or transparent—but not both.
A Ynet gossip column likewise called the outfit “a mistake,” explaining that such a dress generally “doesn’t go well with a stomach that’s not flat” and adding that “it’s hard to see the beauty of the dress with what’s stuck there in the middle.”
The Jewish Daily Forward, despite also engaging in some fashion snobbery, has a different take on the incident:
First, we could read [Sara’s] choice as a bold, political move in a country where women’s faces in advertising are considered scandalous because certain religious Jews just can’t handle the sight of women’s flesh, even if it is just their heads. Second, this dress, with all of the awful judgement behind it, shows that Sara Netanyahu is not being bossed around by some strategists and managers. Nope, this is a woman who clearly makes her own choices, and stands by them, or, well, in them, for better or for worse.
If so, good for her.