Inspired by the MC Paul Barman lyric, “I couldn’t stay calm because/ she revealed a bra made of two yarmulkes,” designer KS turns the fantasy into a reality but lauching Yarmulkebra.com. This site made me think of Jessie’s “shana punim” T-shirt which is put out by the Rabbis Daughters clothing line.That then made me perform a google search on this subject and I found the following at ABCNEWS.com:
Kosher Culture
Chutzpah Alert: Jewish Culture Gets Hip
Dec. 24 [2003] – It may have started years ago when Adam Sandler released his “Hannukah Song,” a laugh-out-loud ode to being Jewish during Christmastime with the refrain, “Put on your yarmulke, It’s time for Hannukah.”
Lately, Jewish culture is being put on the map with features in recent editions of Time and Time Out New York. Both magazines spotlight clothing that proclaims Jewish pride, or as one company seasonally puts it: “Chanukah Chutzpah.”
Web sites, including rabbisdaughters.com and jewcy.com, are targeting Jewish youth with pride T-shirts bearing mottos like “Jewcy” – a play on the popular designer brand, Juicy, which says it celebrates”kosher-style fabulosity.”
Rabbi’s Daughters sells T-shirts that say “Oy Vey,” which means woe is me and “Shiksa,” which refers to a non-Jewish female. The Rabbi’s Daughter line is now in more than 100 stores, and non-Jewish people are buying too.
Then there is The Hebrew Hammer, a new film modeled on the “Blaxspoitation” films of the ’70s, like Shaft. It features “an orthodox stud” who is a “sexy and powerful Jewish action hero,” the publicity material says.
It’s all for laughs.
But why all the attention now?
Julia Lowstein, who put a Jewish spin on J. Lo with her company Jewlo.com, says it is a way for Jewish to show off their identities.
“Younger Jews are accepting their Jewish identity and looking for ways to ‘represent,'” she told Time magazine. “With the alarming rise in anti-Semitism on college campuses, as well as in the national consciousness, young Jews are feeling that now is an especially important time to be forthright and proud of who they are.”
Even fashionistas and non-Jewish celebrities are getting into the act. Christina Aguilera and Kelly Osbourne have been spotted with Jewish pride T-shirts.
(thanks to Jessie for the yarmulkebra.com link which inspired this post)