I spend a lot of time thinking about how one can make being Jewish look good. Because the thing is, I’m always Jewish, and I’d like to be considered a cool girl, a woman with intellect, style and sex appeal, but balancing that with halacha, fashion and contemporary life is hard. For some girls the hardest part is choosing what to wear—skirts only, or sometimes pants, elbows covered or hot, collarbone covered or not, etc—since so much of how we’re perceived is based on how we look. But for others it’s more than that. Is it intimidating or awesome to know that the person you’re dating prays three times a day and only eats kosher food? Is it cool to be friends with someone who feels a really strong connection and commitment to his community, so much so that he will follow rules he doesn’t even agree with because the community says so? Does it get you all hot and bothered that your partner can read and translate a page of dense Aramaic text written by a bunch of rabbis more than a thousand years ago?
I actually think there is something sexy about an Orthodox lifestyle. It seems to be full of secrets and curtains, and even marriage has a kind of illicit feel to it when you’re forbidden from touching each other for weeks at a time.
I too find Orthodoxy sexy. It has more layers and difficulties and mysteries than its watered-down counterparts. Until something is covered up, there can be no revelation (Shmuley Boteach).
