Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Nobody Wants This!
Though Noah describes the word “Shiksa” in an almost complementary way, Bina’s vitriolic usage of the term throughout Nobody Wants This raises important questions about the word’s origins and what it really means. Netflix’s new rom-com Nobody Wants This delves into the world of Judaism as an agnostic podcaster named Joanne falls for a charming rabbi named Noah. Despite the positive elements of their burgeoning relationship, most other Nobody Wants This characters see them as a couple who don’t fit together.
Joanne’s family thinks she should be with someone more risqué because it benefits her podcast and fits with her personality. On the other hand, Noah’s family thinks he should be with a Jewish girl. From the start to the end of Nobody Wants This, Noah’s family throws the word “shiksa” around in a negative way. Despite Noah painting the word in a positive light, the term actually has a much darker and more offensive origin.
“Shiksa” Is An Often Disparaging Term For A Non-Jewish Woman
The Word “Shiksa” Is Typically Considered A Slur
In Nobody Wants This, Noah presents the word “shiksa” as meaning a non-Jewish woman who’s typically blond and attractive. However, this definition downplays the disparaging connotation of the word. The word “shiksa” derives from the Hebrew word “sheketz,” which can mean a couple of things. It can refer to the flesh of an animal that the Torah disallows. It can also mean blemished, impure, abomination, or detested thing.
While words evolve over time, it’s important to look at the connotation of the term “shiksa” from the culture from which it derives. Many Jewish writers have expressed discomfort with the word in their analyses of Nobody Wants This. In Evelyn Frick’s accuracy check on Hey Alma, she said this about the term shiksa:
“Noah’s analysis that the term “shiksa” is no longer derogatory is definitely off — while not all people agree, there is certainly a large swath of Jews today who believe the term is offensive.”
Frick is far from the only Jewish person who thinks the term is derogatory. Both Lior Zaltzman from Kveller and Kylie Ora Lobell of Jewish Journal argue in favor of retiring the word. Lobell discussed hearing the word before she converted to Judaism and how deeply it hurt her. She points out the following:
“Treating every person with love and respect is a huge aspect of our religion. How we treat our fellow man or woman, Jewish or not, is just as important as how we treat Hashem.”
Like Frick and Lobell, Zatlzman also speaks about hearing the term used in a negative context. She writes the following:
“Personally, I recoil every time I hear the word ‘shiksa’ thrown around, which happens, in the case of ‘Nobody Wants This,’ 17 times, but I’m not sure how universal a reaction that is…When I’ve heard it in my life, I was stunned by its casual nastiness, but the people that I love tend to avoid it, or really any kind of semi-slur about non-Jews.”
These are just three responses from Jewish people about the term, and many others corroborate this understanding of the word. It’s clearly still considered a slur in many circles. Additionally, the phrase “Shiksas are for practice” simultaneously degrades non-Jewish women as being an object for Jewish men to play with and degrades Jewish women as not being fun or desirable – which are harmful stereotypes. Ultimately, the way it’s presented in the Adam Brody and Kristen Bell rom-com could root back to Jewish women who converted and non-Jewish wives reclaiming the term, though that’s speculation based on the fact that Foster converted to Judaism.
Adam Brody Revealed Shiksa Was Almost The Title For Netflix’s Nobody Wants This Show
Nobody Wants This Changing The Title Could Have Saved The Show
Interestingly, despite the negative connotation of the term, the word “shiksa” was almost the title of Nobody Wants This. Adam Brody confirmed the rom-com’s original name on the Armchair Expert podcast when speaking with Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. According to Brody, the name was changed because not enough people knew the word “shiksa.” In addition to having a broader appeal with non-Jewish viewers, Erin Foster changing the title might have also helped bring in Jewish viewers. It seems likely that some Jewish viewers would have passed on watching Nobody Wants This if it had a slur as the title.
Source: Hey Alma, Kveller, Jewish Journal, and Armchair Expert
