Betty Rukawy, interviewed on the podcast “Walla Ishi” with Maor Ben Harosh, reflected on a career that began as a young makeup artist, continued at the magazine “Olam HaIsha,” and led in 1985 to founding the model agency “Image.” She said she spent more than 40 years in the business, discovered many major Israeli models, and became widely known two decades ago as the tough judge on “The Models.” Today, she says, she wants quiet, nature, and family, and lives in Arsuf in a nature reserve surrounded by animals and greenery.
Rukawy said she now rejects the fashion world she once helped shape. “The world of modeling is crap,” she said, adding that modeling is “fake” and can consume people if they do not balance appearance with inner life. She said she used to project a hard persona because she was operating among “sharks,” but that was a mask. She also said the pressure for size zero and the industry’s standards contributed to eating disorders, and that she now regrets promoting an unhealthy beauty ideal.
She discussed the backlash she received as the harsh panelist on “The Models,” including eggs and spit thrown at her in the street, and said she quit before a third season. She said she never wanted to do the role again and would not return to the show, since “today every girl can create content” on a phone without depending on agencies or production companies. She also condemned modern beauty trends among young girls, calling heavy makeup, fillers, lip injections, and cosmetic extremes “sick.”
The interview also touched on her family history. Raised in a religious home, she was sent to a religious school in fourth grade, later enlisted in the army, and was thrown out by her father before later reconciling. She studied Land of Israel and tourism at Beit Berl and met her husband at Tel Aviv University. After separating in 1993 and living with Shlomo Zeidler until 2000, she reunited with him and they later married in a spontaneous ceremony in the Arsuf garden, attended only by close family and friends. She said she now spends time with her children, grandchildren, friends, and a women’s group called “Models Ltd.,” and wants to open a communal place for divorced women and children escaping abuse.
