Mesfer comes from a family of Riyadh origin, the eldest of six children. AFP
Riyadh:
With sizzling pink hair and leopard print long suits, model Ziad al-Mesfer was bound to turn heads during his recent public photo shoot in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia.
Passers-by began snapping pictures on their cell phones just minutes after Mesfer stepped out of his white luxury car onto the cobbled sidewalk of an upscale cafe district in New York. Riyadh, his stylist and photographer followed.
Such appearances have helped Mesfer, 25, build a massive social media following while also paving the way for a handful of Saudi male models brave enough to wear the clothes. considered suitable only for women – thus pushing the boundaries of their country’s notoriously rigid gender norms.
In the process, he fell in love with expensive brands to profit from an unimaginable spectacle before Saudi Arabia embarked on a series of social reforms opened by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. out.
However, Mesfer’s approach carries significant risks.
Along with his rabid fans – mostly teenage girls fervently following him on Snapchat – the crowd gawked at the recent photo shoot in Riyadh including an angry middle-aged man walking out of the room. vehicle to denounce Mesfer as “gay”, a potential offense. in Saudi Arabia.
The desert monarchy also traditionally forbade men to “imitate women” or wear women’s clothes, and vice versa.
Mesfer does not identify as gay – he plans to one day marry a woman – and explains that he is simply following the brands’ gay fashion trends. Global.
And despite occasional harassment in person and online, he told AFP he has no plans to leave Saudi Arabia or change his appearance.
“I’d better stay in my country and wear these clothes,” he said, “not waiting for a trip abroad to go out in bold clothes.”
Later fashion
Born into a family of Riyadh descent, the eldest of six children, Mesfer began to develop a sense of style at an early age.
“I used to dress up my mother, aunt and relatives. I used to love styling their hair,” he said.
“My mother used to consult me about these things, so I became more interested in women’s fashion.”
He only dreamed of making his talents public after Crown Prince Mohammed began trying to soften the kingdom’s image, including by expanding entertainment options and loosening the rules mandating women to be. wearing abaya, tight robes and headscarves.
About two years ago, Mesfer started prototyping outfits online using Snapchat’s relatively secure means of automatically deleting posts as they were viewed.
Today, he boasts more than two million Snapchat followers and another 200,000 on Instagram — the kind of photo that has captured the attention of brands including Prada and Dior.
When Gucci opened a new store in Riyadh last month, employees made sure to invite Mesfer to view the inventory, said Loulwa Mohammed, a senior saleswoman.
“Inviting him is very important, because when we invite him and take a video or take a picture of him wearing any item, it sells directly,” said Mohammed. “All the Saudis – old women, young girls – all of them, they’re watching him.”
‘A kind of artist’
Even as other male models and would-be influencers follow his lead, Mesfer remains a leader alone.
“He’s number one,” said a Prada salesperson who, like others interviewed for this story, declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.
However, some fashion experts say Saudi Arabia’s limited acceptance of Mesfer should not be misinterpreted as a general endorsement of his behaviour.
Instead, they said Mesfer, who makes money in part from online advertising, likes to be protected because he works with high-end brands and mingles with local celebrities who invite him. We go to their events.
“We see him as a model, as a kind of artist, so we can’t judge him,” Gucci’s Mohammed said.
But she added: “Sometimes the reaction is negative. Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country. I don’t want to see my brother do the same thing.”
This contrasting perception of Mesfer is clearly displayed in the comments on his Instagram page.
In response to a February post in which Mesfer teamed a bright red jacket with a skin-tight purple turtleneck, one user wrote “God forgive us” while another wrote “I’m deleting Instagram after seeing this.”
However, another user encouraged: “Ziad, keep going, I love you, take care of yourself for the people who love you and do what you love, and don’t care about any words. .”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from the syndication feed.)
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