Singer and pianist Regina Spektor made the Complex list. Image by Getty Images

By Elissa Strauss December 28, 2011

In her post on Complex.com’s year-end list of the 50 hottest Jewish women, Naomi Zeveloff warns against the persistent lust-ridden fascination with Jewish women.

Me, on the other hand — well, I am still kind of digging it.

Are men’s magazines crude and often misogynistic? Yep. Are ethnic fetishes, as Zeveloff point out, incredibly reductive? Of course. But still, I see a silver lining here.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Instead of Jewish women, broadly speaking, adapting to notions of what is hot — blond, demure, coquettish — men, as represented by these mainstream publications, have adapted to us — brunette, opinionated, funny. And I am well-aware that I am speaking in stereotypes here, but considering how much we still trade in stereotypes I believe it is sometimes worthwhile to consider how they function and evolve instead of just outright rejecting them.

The Complex list contains the usual suspects like Scarlett Johansson, Rachel Weisz, and Mila Kunis along with funny ladies Kat Dennings, Sarah Silverman and Lizzy Caplan, and singers Regina Spektor and Jenny Lewis. When I see these big-mouthed ladies on a list of desirable women, it makes me think that the once much-detested “overbearing” Jewish woman has now become the much-desired “overbearing” Jewish woman. I view this as progress, albeit a warped one, by the world’s men who no longer seem to be scared — or worse, repulsed — by strong-willed women.

Would the world be better without these types of lists? Probably. But as long as they are around, I am glad that women of substance now make the cut.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount