"During pregnancy, I feel, thank God, the sexiest I have ever been"
At 24, Kim Or Azulay has over a decade of experience as an influencer and actress, but nothing prepared her for what happened when she revealed the gender of her fetus at an event sponsored by a baby formula brand. On the verge of becoming a mother, she appears in the new film "Hill 338" and talks about the criticism she received, her marriage to basketball player Iftach Ziv, and the concerns ahead of the next big role of her life.
Kim Or Azulay has lived half her life in front of the cameras after becoming famous at age 12 on the show "The Boys and Girls" broadcast on the Children's Channel. Every detail of her life, from her relationship and wedding to her pregnancy, has been well documented. However, a few months ago, she experienced the less pleasant side of publicity when a campaign she participated in caused a widespread storm. It happened when Azulay revealed she was expecting a boy in collaboration with the "Arcaffe" chain and the "Materna" baby formula brand club. In the comments, it was claimed that she could not collaborate with a formula company before giving birth and decide in advance that she would not try to breastfeed her son.
"I usually don't take part in online storms, but this was tough," she recalls. "These weren't just commenters hiding behind a keyboard, but women with names and agendas who came out against me. It caught me off guard, I didn't understand how sensitive a topic this is. It felt very simple to me — a gender reveal cake costs 400 shekels, and here 'Arcaffe' launched one for 180 shekels and the 'Materna' club just sponsored the event. It's like if Iftach played in a basketball jersey that has sponsor names on it, does that mean he uses the product of each of them? No. I didn't understand the reason for the storm and I really wanted them to explain it to me, but no one was even willing to have a discussion with me."
What hurt you the most?
"That even older women attacked me, I could be their daughter. Instead of coming and explaining, the approach was 'let's make a defamatory video and distort the situation.' What actually happened is that 'Arcaffe' took me as a future young mother to promote their new cake, and that's legitimate. That's what I do in life, I promote brands. But how did they turn it into me promoting formula and being against breastfeeding? There was a community of women there, I don't know where it meets them in everyday life, I don't know if breastfeeding was difficult for them or not, but they chose to vent all their anger, frustration, and agenda on me. I have no problem with criticism, but the way they expressed themselves and tore me apart was simply illegitimate. I never for a second said I wouldn't breastfeed, I myself am thinking of breastfeeding, so why destroy me like that?"
Is that how you felt? That they were trying to destroy you?
"I felt that all the fire was directed at me. They called me a criminal, it was really exaggerated."
How did you cope?
"My agent and my doula calmed me down, and fortunately Iftach doesn't get excited by comments and that strengthened me. Around my wedding there was also a lot of noise, they said the dress I wore was provocative, but it didn't move me. When I do something I'm at peace with, the reactions don't pull me down, but it was hard for me with the discourse. I understood why women don't expose their children and don't communicate their pregnancy online, because it's a complex topic. If politics is a topic that is difficult to talk about, then immediately after it comes pregnancy and motherhood. From that moment, it made me think twice before sharing anything. I don't want to be the flag-bearer of these disputes."
Do you regret the campaign?
"Not at all, I would do it again. I think there is an amazing product here and a super-legitimate statement. People put the formula in the front, but there is no formula in the cake and it's not part of the matter. The critics also didn't stop to think about what all the mothers who do use formula feel and if they are undermining their confidence. There are women who can't breastfeed, so what, are they bad mothers? You are women who raised children, you understand how sensitive, challenging, and complex a topic this is for every woman, so why instead of empowering, giving tools and knowledge, do you choose to belittle? Every mother is good, and even if you breastfeed or not, it won't define your motherhood."
"I always looked 16, and suddenly I feel like a woman"
Azulay (24) will soon become a mother, a year after she and her husband, basketball player Iftach Ziv, were married. Along with the great joy, concerns and thoughts also arise. "Thank God, I have an almost impossible model to achieve, parents who set a high bar, and I ask myself how I will be like that, how I will reach the level of confidence, giving, and love that I received. My mother literally stopped her life when she brought children into the world and that's not something I see myself doing. From there comes my biggest fear, how not to give up on yourself while raising children."
Do you consult with friends from the industry about this?
"Not too much, also because I don't have many friends from the field who are part of my day-to-day life, and also because, thank God, I do everything first, both in my career and in my personal life, so I don't really have anyone to share and consult with. I'm not saying this with a sad song in the background, but it's a feeling of being alone. Everything I go through for the first time, my environment also goes through for the first time, so I have to contain everyone's excitement in addition to my excitement and everyone's concerns in addition to my concerns. Most of the time I'm okay with it, but it's also a responsibility."
Does it weigh on you?
"In general, I'm not a person who puts a lot of weight on things, if something happens to me, I usually digest it alone and move on. I don't demand much from my environment, and I also see a psychologist, which helps a lot. Only in the last few weeks did it hit me that I'm towards the end of pregnancy and that I can tell my agent that I'm staying home today without doing anything. This is something I don't know because if there is work, then it's before everything."
Are you already thinking about maternity leave?
"I'm in a 'we'll get to the bridge and cross it' vibe. I'm very planned and all the time I thought I would quickly return to work, but suddenly during pregnancy I told myself that I don't know what will be and asked my agent, 'Don't commit to anything.' Whoever knows me and knows what I can give will also give me the time I need. This is a very difficult decision because I'm a workaholic to the bone and I don't know how to say no to work, but maybe I'll suddenly discover that I'm not so light when it comes to children and I'll be that stressed mom who isn't ready to part with her child. I grew up with a very anxious mother, so maybe I'll also be like that suddenly, although I have a lot of help that isn't taken for granted. I also have the financial ability to buy help with money, and that's not a shame."
How much do you love yourself during pregnancy?
"I feel, thank God, the sexiest I have ever been. I always looked 16, and suddenly I feel like a woman. I feel that it brings out my most beautiful sides, and that's also one of the reasons why I really enjoy the pregnancy."
Are you dealing with the day after? Returning to your body?
"Not from a place of returning to myself in appearance, but from a place that sport is my life and also my work. I miss the training very much, I am a person who likes it when it hurts and when the muscles are tight, and recently I stopped training because I felt that it could already be harmful. Sport is my escape, it's my silence, and I sacrificed it for the pregnancy, but right after I will return."
Always dreamed of being a young mother?
"Yes, my dream is to reach 45 like my mother and be the best friend of my children. I also feel that everything is going wrong for the better, I always dreamed of being an actress in Hollywood and relocating, but unfortunately we are in a period where we are not so wanted in the world. I look at the positive side and understand that it gives me peace to distribute my dreams, maybe this is my time to bring children into the world, and when they are five-six years old, Iftach will just retire from his career and we will fulfill the dream in Hollywood."
