Jewish Culture Gets Its Mainstream Moment

Schwam-Curtis is a patrilineal Jew, meaning her Judaism comes from her father’s side. Growing up in a single-parent household, with a mother who is Black, she says she had a sparse and sporadic relationship to Judaism until college. She fought off impostor syndrome of not being “Jewish enough” but reaffirmed her identity by going on Birthright—a sponsored 10-day trip to Israel for Jewish young adults between ages 18 and 26—participating in the on-campus Jewish organization Hillel, and connecting with a queer femme rabbi. “My Judaism shows up as community,” she says.

Young creators like Schwam-Curtis and Perlmutter—whose signature shaved head and exuberant wardrobe are part of what makes her so compelling to her followers—are helping to redefine not only what it means to be Jewish but also what it looks like physically.

Not so long ago, it felt as if the only way to describe a young Jewish woman who enjoyed fashion, beauty, and friendships was by using the term JAP (Jewish American Princess), which—depending on what part of the country you were from—conjured images of curly brown hair pulled stick-straight with flat irons and, later, keratin treatments. She got a new Betsey Johnson or Lester’s dress before every camp friend’s bat mitzvah. She wore a Juicy sweatsuit and a chunky Tiffany charm to pick up bagels. She layered Sugar Lip tank upon Sugar Lip tank to conceal her fuller-than-average breasts. Rhinoplasty was often a given. She lived in HardTail sweats. She got not one but two Coach bags for Hanukkah.

To some Jewish women, there’s a nostalgic charm to this stereotype. When used insularly, it can be a humorous and familiar dig, an acknowledgement of the connective aesthetic iconography we’ve shared. But outside the community, it often conjures up an insufferable caricature of wealth, entitlement, and depraved femininity packaged neatly into an antisemitic punchline.

In a world that preaches body positivity and inclusivity, femininity (rightly) takes on many forms. But that doesn’t necessarily rid some Jewish women of the negative self-talk fueled by the Bellas, Biebers and Barbies of the world. “It’s embracing that we [might] have IBD, embracing that we have lots of hair or a nose that we don’t love. Instead of feeling held back by these things, we’re owning it and making it our strengths,” says Korn.

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