Israel’s News Blog Magazine: Daily Stories Video and PhotosIsrael’s next top model: a nice Muslim girl
Niral Karantinji, winner of the Israeli reality show “The Models”
The second season of The Models, Israel’s version of America’s Next Top Model, just ended with a bang and a ton of publicity. The winner of the contest is Niral Karantinji (Hebrew Wikipedia entry on Niral here), a 20 year-old Arab-Israeli Muslim woman from Haifa.
Besides all the challenges of the competition itself, the stunning young woman had to deal with a lot of controversy connected with her ethnicity. One of the competitors, an Ethiopian-Israeli woman named Mimi Tadesa, didn’t like Niral at all. Whilst cat fights between young women in a modeling competition are normal, it is perhaps less normal for one competitor to call the other “a terrorist” - as Mimi reportedly called Niral.
Niral also had to deal with criticism in her own community. Her parents were not at all happy to see her drinking alcohol, which is forbidden to Muslims, on one episode of the show. They - and quite a few other Muslim Israelis - were also very displeased to see Niral posing topless in another episode.
On the other hand, as an Arab-Israeli DJ from Haifa said in a mini-documentary about Niral that was broadcast one week after her victory, it’s not fair to put the expectations of the entire community on the shoulders of one individual. If you don’t like what you see, turn off the television. Don’t look. She represents only herself, and more power to her.
Virginia said,
April 23, 2006 @ 6:50 pm
“She represents only herself, and more power to her.” I’ll second that! She is beautiful.
George. C. said,
April 26, 2006 @ 12:15 am
Niral is realy brave to do what she did, inspite
of her family and community objections and
displeasure,being a Muslim model is not a simple
task, I hope she’ll make it,after all she wants
to be free and on her own.
Jack B. said,
April 26, 2006 @ 3:18 pm
Mimi the Ethiopian model should be ashamed of
herself, insulting Niral instead of competing
fairly,and may the best win.
David All said,
April 28, 2006 @ 10:50 pm
“Posing Topless”!
Here in the US, if even a little bit of female breast get shown on TV (see last year’s Super Bowl half-time show) all the proper folks faint like some Victorian Lady who has been indecently propositioned!
nisa said,
May 18, 2006 @ 12:05 pm
so being treated as meat, like a cow, is “liberation”? how ppl treat their women is unamusing. thanks, but no thanks. i love my womanly curves, and i’m only showing to my husband. i don’t need to fulfill western desire for nudity. when i see you, i want my clothes on. thanks.
tatjana said,
December 20, 2006 @ 9:43 pm
hm… shes not.. that pretty :S
binyomin said,
March 1, 2007 @ 2:07 am
It’s sad that our cultures still teach women that there value is in their physical appearance. I appreciate that it take bravery for a muslim woman to work as a model, but it’s rather upsetting to read a message like tatjana’s, above, saying, “hmm, she’s not that pretty”. no matter what women do, they are constantly judged by how they look. and these kinds of contests only glorify and perpetuate that. woman of all sizes and looks: celebrate your natural bodies!
line said,
November 27, 2007 @ 11:22 am
wel, I dont know her but she is relative to me some how!
A agree a litte she is not THAT pretty, but she got curage xP
and she is a muslim. lol! to be a muslim is realy nothing these days.
And where is youre repsect showing youre self topless(not that THAT is new) any way I dont like topp model not the Isales one, not the english one and NOT the norwigan one(where I live :S)
=) xD
ww said,
March 9, 2008 @ 11:50 pm
what is the surname of the blonde christine/kristine???
please mail me with answer!!