Gal’s time in the IDF had both positive and negative effects on her life. While she enjoyed the camaraderie with those she served alongside, she has also faced much backlash for it in her acting career.
Her comments sparked some rage on social media, but Gal stood by her statements that supported her patriotism.
Making The Most Of The Situation
With the events of 2020, collective encouragement became a popular movement. Gal and fellow celebs like Kristen Wiig tried to cheer up their viewers with a rendition of the well-known song "Imagine" by John Lennon. Unfortunately, the well-meaning gesture was not received well at all.
Floods of social media backlash posts came in, citing that the celebrities were out of touch with how ordinary people were coping with the pandemic. They instead communicated that they wanted more practical support in the form of donations of food or money instead of a song.
More Controversy
When Gal appeared in "Maxim" magazine wearing a bikini with her fellow females of the IDF, controversy quickly brewed. It was thought that the photoshoot could increase tourism to Israel, but instead, it caused an international drama.
Female politicians around the world were outraged by the images. A member of parliament for the Labour party in the UK described the photos as “pornographic” while Maxim defended their publication choices. Gal also was shocked by the unintended drama.
Revlon Brand Ambassador
Along with SmartWater, Gal is also one of Revlon’s brand ambassadors. Given her abundant, natural beauty and modeling background, it surely was not a tough choice for the makeup company. Unfortunately, her ambassador deal was met with controversy when a Muslim blogger turned down an award from the company because of their selection of Gal.
Blogger Amani Al-Khatahtbeh explained her actions in one of her posts and said that it was ultimately Gal’s politics that led to her decision. She even went so far as to address Gal personally in one of her posts.
Confronting Fans
When Gal took the role of Wonder Woman in 2013, she naturally faced criticism from die-hard comic book fans. Surprisingly, fans dished out superficial criticism, claiming that Gal’s slender figure was not an accurate representation of the superhero.
Gal took a stand against the critics and remained firmly planted in her identity. She also chose an intellectual approach to her argument by saying that she was probably more similar to the actual character than her critics imagined. However, the greatest proof that casting directors made the right choice in Gal was the success of the first "Wonder Woman" film.