Status: Off to Israel… Kidding
Music: Shoulda Woulda Coulda - Beverly Knight

No, I’m not encouraging you to go to that Maxim party. (It’ll be in New York, hello!?) I want you to look at the woman on that poster. She’s one of the female (former) Israeli soldiers to grace Maxim’s cover this July. (Yes, she’s a soldier. Really. I swear.) There’s nothing controversial about it really EXCEPT for the fact that it is sponsored by the Israeli government itself. And why the hell is Israel doing this? Well, they say, to promote a positive image of the country. Hehehe. You think it’s absurd? Welcome to the club!

The rationale: the Israeli Consulate in New York found out that, apparently, Israel, as a nation, was not particularly well-regarded in the United States and was perceived as “too religious and too militaristic” by the 18-35 male demographic. So, they felt they had to do something about it, and *surprise, surprise* they thought, “We’re not just about guns and Hanukkah. We got pussies, too! Hot pussies! Hot military pussies! Oh yeah! The damn tourists will be flooding our airports soon.”

Of course, this “hot” move by the Jewish nation was not that hot or may be too hot for some people. Protesters claim that the Israeli government is resorting to pornography and trying to sell sex to promote tourism. Oh, protesters, shut up, will ya? It’s not everyday that we see hot bikini-clad Jewish soldiers. (Kidding. Shoot me.)

I can imagine myself talking with a friend:

Yoshke: Hey, I’m going to Jerusalem!
Friend: What for? To see the light?
Yoshke: Not really, dude. No light. Just heaven.

And this reminds me of a marketing gimmick by an airline in Ecuador, where they offer free bikini and swimsuit shows on board. The aisle is the runway, of course. And you can get this close to the models. That airline has already reported a significant increase in bookings. And again, I can imagine:

Yoshke: Let’s go to Ecuador.
Friend: And why? There’s nothing much to see there.
Yoshke: It’s not the destination, man. It’s the journey.

It’s funny how we use women to generate profit. States and businesses alike. It’s funny. But it’s pretty sad, too. Really.

If you liked this post, you might want to check out: