Who's the New Girl in Hollywood? Meet Petel Asaf, the International Model Turning Heads
Written by Ethan M. Stone
Hollywood loves a new face. Petel Asaf arrives with something a little more interesting than a carefully rehearsed introduction: an international modeling résumé, a reality-TV chapter and a life story that has already taken her across several continents.
The Israel-born model has lived in Guatemala, Costa Rica, China and London, with a return to Israel along the way. Now she has moved to the United States, eager to begin what she describes as a new chapter. For anyone encountering her for the first time, the obvious question is: where exactly did she come from? The short answer is just about everywhere.
Not Exactly an Overnight Arrival
Asaf started modeling at 16, encouraged by her mother at a time when she says she struggled to see her own beauty. Years before that, she remembers dressing up in heels as a child and imagining a future in the spotlight. It was never a passing interest; being seen was part of the plan.Making that plan real was considerably less glamorous. In China, Asaf recalls long workdays, constant auditions and a punishing run of rejection before securing opportunities associated with SHEIN, Forever 21 and Missguided.
A stint in London brought projects she identifies with JD Sports, ASOS and Juicy Couture, including billboard work. Her story is less a meteoric rise than a collection of hard-won chances.
There is an entertainment résumé, too. Asaf spent roughly three months as a contestant on Israel's version of Big Brother, swapping the anonymity of castings for a format built around being watched.
It is a striking combination: a model comfortable in front of a camera who also knows what happens when there is nowhere to hide from one.
A New City, Same Big Ambitions
Los Angeles represents another reinvention, not a first attempt. Asaf describes herself as funny, stubborn, upbeat and devoted to animals, qualities she hopes people will discover beyond campaign imagery.Her goals are hardly small: she wants to become a Victoria's Secret Angel and eventually build her own clothing label.
Her attraction to fashion began long before professional sets. Growing up with limited means, Asaf recalls cutting and sewing the clothes she had to turn them into pieces she actually wanted to wear. That creative instinct is still part of how she thinks about her future.
So, is Hollywood's newest international arrival headed for another on-camera turn, a larger fashion campaign or a brand of her own? Asaf has not announced a particular next project. For now, the most intriguing part is that she has already lived several different lives before beginning this one.
Those curious about the new arrival can follow Petel Asaf on Instagram, where her American chapter is just getting started.
