'Today's arena is social media': Korin Gideon on politics, body confidence, life in public eye

“A ballot slip with Korin Gideon’s name? No. Absolutely not,” Gideon said during the filming of a new advertising campaign for international lingerie brand Triumph.

She then confirmed that she had received political overtures.

“Yes, I was approached. I met with Gilad Erdan,” she said.

“He is a serious person with a great deal of experience,” Gideon said. “His perspective on how the world sees Israel, because of the positions he has held in Israel and abroad, is very interesting. It was a good meeting. I mainly came to listen and also to share my views.”

Asked whether Erdan had sought to recruit her, Gideon said: “Yes, he wanted to explore the possibility of my joining him. It was only an initial examination.”

Gideon, one of Israel’s best-known television personalities and online influencers, said she was not currently prepared to leave the media industry for political life.

“I am not at a point in my life where I want to leave everything and enter politics,” she said. “People pay heavy personal prices there. This country is important to me, the future of my children is important to me, and I love this place and want life here to be good.”

Gideon said her influence on social media was also discussed during the meeting with Erdan.

“I think politicians are beginning to understand,” she said. “The arena today is social media. Anyone who is not there has to be there.”

Israeli politicians have increasingly turned to television personalities, journalists and online creators to reach voters outside traditional political channels.

Gideon said she had yet to decide which party she would support in the election.

“There is still time,” she said. “I intend to read, listen, examine and research everything thoroughly. It is important to me to choose someone who will focus on the important issues rather than distractions.”

Her comments came during filming for Triumph’s new “Feels Like Triumph” campaign, which shows Gideon dancing inside a home instead of posing in a conventional studio setting.

Gideon has represented the company in Israel for five years, including during her pregnancies and after giving birth. The campaign focuses on comfort, confidence and body acceptance, according to its producers, who said the images were published without digital retouching.

“Years ago, I would not have felt comfortable being photographed like this,” Gideon said. “Since becoming a mother, I have become much more comfortable with my body.”

She said motherhood had changed the way she viewed femininity and the message she wanted to pass on to her daughter and other women.

“You can feel beautiful and feminine at every stage and with every body type,” she said.

Gideon also discussed a breast-lift procedure she had previously disclosed publicly, describing it as a personal goal she had wanted to pursue for years.

“I fulfilled that dream, set myself a goal and carried it out,” she said. “Today, I genuinely feel much better about my body.”

“I did not say anything insulting,” Gideon said. “It was a joke about a mistake in Hebrew. I am simply a language nerd. I have always loved Hebrew.”

She said she had made clear that she admired Odeya and that both women treated the exchange humorously.

“She was brilliant and amazing,” Gideon said of Odeya’s response. “That is exactly what makes her such a popular and approachable singer. Her reaction was charming.”

During the filming, Gideon’s husband, Hili Sorotzkin, sent flowers to the set. Her mother, Varda, also accompanied her throughout the shoot.