{"id":631400,"date":"2026-04-26T05:12:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T05:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/631400\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T05:12:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T05:12:21","slug":"israeli-supermodel-sun-mizrahi-on-fame-burnout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/631400\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli supermodel Sun Mizrahi on fame, burnout"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Israelis mark the country\u2019s 78th Independence Day and speak of national pride, one name stands out: Sun Mizrahi<\/a>, widely considered the most successful Israeli model on the global stage. <\/p>\n

She has walked for Chanel, Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Jacquemus, Dior and Herm\u00e8s, appeared on the covers of Harper\u2019s Bazaar Italy, Vogue Greece, System Beauty and Num\u00e9ro France, and led major campaigns. From the outside, her career appears flawless. But early in the interview, Mizrahi delivers a blunt admission: \u201cI\u2019m over it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sun on the Stella McCartney runway <\/p>\n

(Photo: Aurore Marechal\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Despite continuing to receive offers most models can only dream of \u2014 including a Vogue cover she recently declined \u2014 she says the work no longer fulfills her. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t interest me like it used to. It\u2019s not developing me. I see younger models with incredible ambition, and I realize I don\u2019t have that passion anymore. Other things interest me now. I\u2019ve decided to take a step back. I\u2019m taking my foot off the gas.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is not just an internal debate. Mizrahi has informed her international agents and her Israeli agency, Inch Models, that she intends to scale back. \u201cI explained that it\u2019s become too intense, that I want more home, I want to create and to study, so I\u2019m stepping back. I don\u2019t yet know what will change or what it will look like, but I assume this new life will take shape soon. Ultimately, I want to build a family with my future husband here in Israel. I don\u2019t want to be far from him, from my future children or from my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision is not an easy one. Mizrahi remains one of Israel\u2019s most prominent international models, with a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that includes Chanel, Stella McCartney, Bottega Veneta and Dior, as well as Zara and Victoria\u2019s Secret. Over the past two years \u2014 a period that included a high-profile divorce \u2014 she says she began questioning her identity beyond modeling. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a disconnect with myself. A lot of exclamation marks about who I am turned into question marks, including my marriage. I needed to give myself more freedom, and that led to the divorce and now to this decision. It took time. For a year and a half or two, I\u2019ve been talking about these feelings with friends and my therapist. It feels empty. It doesn\u2019t interest me, doesn\u2019t develop me. It\u2019s exhausting. I have many other things that interest me more, things that were always under the radar. I want meaning in my daily life, and I feel this is the stage where things need to come out.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you look at your career, do you feel you\u2019ve done it all and can move on?
\n\u201cYes, but it\u2019s not even from that place. Even when I did the biggest things, I didn\u2019t really understand what I had done. Maybe that protects me from pressure and responsibility, because many times I don\u2019t give myself the credit I deserve. So it\u2019s not from a place of \u2018I\u2019ve done it.\u2019 I still have many offers now, like a Vogue cover, but it doesn\u2019t interest me anymore. <\/p>\n

“Vogue is something girls dream about, would do anything for, and I find it relieving to say no. I\u2019ve been processing this for two years. In the past, saying no came with a lot of guilt, because I\u2019m doing what most people dream of, and who am I to refuse something so amazing? People had a hard time understanding. They would say, \u2018What are you complaining about? You travel the world, you earn well, you\u2019re on the biggest runways and covers.\u2019 But they didn\u2019t experience the loneliness I felt, or the lack of fulfillment \u2014 waiting for a shoot day to end. What kept me in the profession was mainly guilt, that I was rejecting something so desirable, but I realized that if it doesn\u2019t nourish me, it drains me. And over time, the distance from home became harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says the gap was not only physical but also personal. Despite being part of a glamorous world, she never fully embraced it. \u201cI was invited to many parties and events, but I was very professional, so I didn\u2019t go out much. It didn\u2019t really interest me. I was never part of the drug culture \u2014 it doesn\u2019t appeal to me. I went once to a party with global celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Leonardo DiCaprio. It was a small event, and I felt a bit like an outsider. People were under various influences. It\u2019s not for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

When did you decide to make a change?
\n\u201cDuring the last fashion week, I made a conscious decision. I\u2019m not making absolute declarations, but essentially it was my last. Maybe in five years Chanel will call and I\u2019ll be interested \u2014 I don\u2019t see it happening, but right now I\u2019m stepping back. I\u2019ll do only campaigns that feel good, with enough planning, under certain conditions and for the right compensation \u2014 work I don\u2019t feel I\u2019ll suffer traveling for. I\u2019ll do it how it suits me, when it suits me, where it suits me and with whom it suits me. I\u2019m no longer a slave to the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Why did you feel you couldn\u2019t continue?
\n\u201cIn the past year, I\u2019ve felt the distance from home and family much more strongly. It\u2019s been six years. Maybe in the first four it was fine \u2014 exploring, developing. I\u2019ve always had a rich inner world, so being alone didn\u2019t scare me. But recently it\u2019s been hard to be away from my home, my bed, my people. What was especially difficult was the lack of control over my schedule, over my life. My schedule was in the hands of agents. I couldn\u2019t plan anything in advance.<\/p>\n

” Today I look back and ask, \u2018How did I live like that?\u2019 At the start of your career, they convince you everything is important. No one tells you it\u2019s also important to be at home with your partner, to paint. You\u2019re in a loop, a slave to it. Only now can I say with confidence: it doesn\u2019t suit me anymore.”<\/p>\n

Taking back control of your life?
\n\u201cYes. In modeling, you\u2019re really a tool. It can be a good tool, like actors who play a role, but to some extent I feel I don\u2019t want to be just the tool that brings something to life. I want to create the character. I want to decide what identity I am today. When you remove the \u2018Sun Mizrahi\u2019 brand, there\u2019s a person who studies, writes, paints, reads and talks. I feel I\u2019ve been shrinking to fit the role of the model, but I have much more to give. The problem is getting pulled into this loop of status, fame and money. I choose to say I have more value to offer. What I did was amazing \u2014 it had value even for the country, on a broader level \u2014 but it\u2019s a golden cage.” <\/p>\n

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Sun at a Chanel fashion show <\/p>\n

(Photo: Chanel)<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s like a breakup. It\u2019s an identity I wore, and people know me as Sun the model, but I\u2019m not only that. One day the status and fame won\u2019t be there. I didn\u2019t want to wait to face that question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did people get upset with your decision?
\n\u201cMy agents are amazing and understood. In the end, they\u2019re human. I explained myself, although it didn\u2019t really matter what they said because I came very determined. Once I decided not to please anyone, money became irrelevant. You have to know how to say no, otherwise you become a slave to money, status or fame that don\u2019t add anything for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

What will you do next?
\n\u201cI\u2019m open to new projects. I\u2019m currently a presenter for Katalea, a sunglasses brand by Opticana, and for the fashion and lifestyle brand Seestarz. Maybe I\u2019ll host, dance or act. There are many things I\u2019m curious about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite her statements, Mizrahi is not fully closing the door on modeling. \u201cMaybe I\u2019ll continue a bit. In any case, I\u2019m curating the work \u2014 I do what feels good and what excites me. I\u2019m less tied to it.\u201d Several campaigns she has already shot are still set to be released in the coming months.<\/p>\n

How do people in Israel treat you?
\n\u201cPeople see me and tell me I\u2019m a source of pride, that I\u2019m an honor, that I\u2019m amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

And abroad, when they hear you\u2019re from Israel?
\n\u201cI haven\u2019t experienced antisemitism directly. People ask questions out of curiosity, but I\u2019ve never experienced violence, not even verbal, or a sense of discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have brands been hesitant to hire you?
\n\u201cMaybe, but it\u2019s not something I experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n

What sets you apart as an Israeli model?
\n\u201cI feel very open and friendly compared to others. There\u2019s a certain Israeli directness. And of course, language \u2014 I read, write and speak Hebrew. I carry myself as Israeli.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Do you feel Israeli pride on the runway?
\n\u201cYes. I feel very Israeli. It\u2019s part of my identity, so when I introduce myself and when I walk, it\u2019s part of who I am, and I carry that with pride.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mizrahi arrived at the interview with her hair pulled back \u2014 a practical decision, but also symbolic of a deeper shift. For years, her curls were part of her image. Now she is less focused on image and more on identity. \u201cPeople love me with my hair up,\u201d she says with a smile. \u201cAt Chanel, for example, they liked seeing my face. They told me the hair isn\u2019t the issue \u2014 people love your face. That stayed with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sun on the Victoria\u2019s Secret runway <\/p>\n

(Photo: WWD\/GettyImages)<\/p>\n

The conversation soon turns to her personal life. Mizrahi recently became engaged to actor Shahak Batsir. He proposed during a trip to Portugal on New Year\u2019s Eve in an intimate setting. \u201cIt was very \u2018us,\u2019 just the two of us in nature. Very emotional. I knew it was coming, but I was still surprised. I\u2019m very intuitive. I don\u2019t follow conventional timelines. Things happen when they feel right.\u201d He asked for her hand from each member of her family individually, a gesture she describes as deeply appreciated.<\/p>\n

Their meeting was almost accidental, through a mutual friend from Haifa, a major city in northern Israel. \u201cHe later told me he had a vision that he had seen me before,\u201d she says. \u201cIn the end, it turned out he really had seen me years earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did the relationship develop?
\n\u201cIt doesn\u2019t happen often that men approach directly. He even came to a gathering that wasn\u2019t comfortable for him just to see me. I find that impressive. I don\u2019t play games. When it feels right, I give it space.\u201d The wedding, she says, will be private. \u201cI don\u2019t see value in media coverage. I want to keep something for ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sun with her fianc\u00e9 <\/p>\n

(Photo: Eden Halamish)<\/p>\n

Her new relationship came not long after her divorce, a period she describes as formative. \u201cWhen you leave a framework, freedom opens up. I felt trust and confidence \u2014 choosing what I feel without fear of consequences. It freed me.\u201d The change also drew criticism. \u201cPeople find it hard to see change. They want you to stay in the box they know. But that\u2019s part of being true to myself.\u201d Reflecting on her first marriage, she adds, \u201cI married young, but I don\u2019t regret it. Every choice gives us something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, away from the flash of Milan and Paris, Mizrahi is studying for a degree in art and psychology and writing a book. \u201cIt\u2019s philosophical. I\u2019m still figuring out how to define it, but it\u2019s not about me as Sun. It\u2019s about insights into the human experience. I think many people will relate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It sounds very spiritual.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve always been very spiritual, even as a child. I meditate every day. I\u2019m very sensitive, and everything can penetrate if I don\u2019t protect myself. Meditation is a way to communicate with myself. Sometimes they\u2019re long, an hour, where you experience different things. I also use cards \u2014 a bit like prayer \u2014 asking for guidance. I believe in astrology, I\u2019ve studied numerology and I explore these areas. I also receive holistic treatment. I don\u2019t believe one place has all the answers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Israelis mark the country\u2019s 78th Independence Day and speak of national pride, one name stands out: Sun…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631401,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[64,63,447,134],"class_list":["post-631400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}