Recently, veteran actor Shaan Shahid posted a defence of his shirtless pic under a shower, that he had earlier shared on social media. His argument was something to the effect that men are endowed with strength and women with beauty, that he wants to inspire men of his age bracket with fitness, and that we live in a world where men are allowed to go shirtless. His religious fans have also made the technical point that he did not reveal his awrah (religiously determined private parts that range from the belly button to the knees).
Technically, there is nothing wrong with his picture, for if we are to engage in whataboutism then social media is rife with male private parts of actors from a culture where, based on equality, full frontal male nudity is being placed on par with conventional female nudity in films. A recent example is that of the actor Cooper Koch from the Netflix serial on the gruesome murder by the Menendez Brothers. Compared to that, Shaan’s pic is innocuous.
However, on a moral basis there is everything wrong with Shaan’s pic. My argument goes beyond the concerns of equality, where some have pointed out the hypocrisy in men getting away with such pics and veteran actors like Bushra Ansari skewered over their sartorial choice.
The predominant concern is that in a society that is struggling with fuel prices, access to affordable medicines, overall cost of living, and where middle-aged Abbu’s struggle to make ends meet, the concern on fitness comes as part of the tehseniyat (luxuries) and not zaruriyat (necessities). In such a context, emphasising the perks of economic class comes across as riya kari (ostentatious display) or conspicuous consumption.
Another example that comes to mind is that of Wasim Akram’s display of a hefty $1,000 bill on the grooming of his cat. This can be contextualised with Dr Arfa Syeda Zehra’s video clip on not wearing new Eid clothes out of concern that it would cause dil shikni (hurting) of her peers who could not afford new clothes on Eid.
Generally, positional goods like body fitness or pet grooming impose negative externalities on others by eliciting envy in them. While the economic solution is to tax such conspicuous consumption, a religious solution occurs through internalisation of moral norms. And herein lies the problem that morality is reduced to a set of technical conditions – Shaan never exposed his awrah so it should be OK even if the picture is suggestive and stokes shahwa (desire) of many in the sexual spectrum.
In such a context, emphasising the perks of economic class comes across as riya kari (ostentatious display) or conspicuous consumption
Alternatively, it is not about how much body is revealed but the context in which it is revealed. For instance, bodybuilding posing trunks are exceptionally tiny, but they are not usually construed as stoking desire. Having virtually naked men posing in tiny trunks on display is itself problematic and deserves a separate discussion.
However, posting pics under a shower or otherwise, which generally stokes desire, signifies riya kari, a moral flaw, khud pasandi (narcissism), another moral problem, or a cry for attention, yet another moral failing.
Some may argue that a celebrity can incentivise fitness through such pics. But fitness is not about visible abs. Athletes like Nooh Dastgir Butt and Arshad Nadeem do not post shirtless pics and may not necessarily have abs. Yet, their stamina and endurance may be far greater than that of celebrity actors with abs.
And if anyone wants to inspire middle aged men towards fitness, then instead of engaging in the performative action of posting shirtless pics, they can start local fitness chapters where they target local community Abbu’s to start by simply walking after work. But that requires putting one’s money where one’s mouth is.
All the wealth accumulated by these celebrity actors is based on the hard-earned money paid by the middle-aged Abbu’s when their kids go to watch movies by these celebrities. In some sense these actors owe their riches to these Abbu’s, as part of the social contract.
To reiterate, posting shirtless pics is a performative act devoid of any morality. Celebrities should stop hiding behind false arguments that they are inspiring others when all they are doing is garnering attention for themselves in a bid to stay relevant. It is this dohrapan (duplicity) that rubs people the wrong way, especially as they struggle economically in a country marred by one problem after another.
Great feats are not accomplished through shirtless pics, no matter how many Masha Allah’s such posts may elicit in the social media circus. Steven David Sheen, the UK teacher who moved to Sindh to lift others up is how it is done. He does not need to remove his shirt to inspire others.