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hottie of the week
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 16, 2012
Abbas Jafri: The bearded bloke Birthday: November 30 Status: Single Born: Karachi, Pakistan
abbas Who he is
jafri
There is something so animalistic about a man with a thick, dense, unruly ... beard. Not everyone can pull off the uninhibited, aggressive sexuality reminscent of a wild caveman — but the ones who can easily trump today’s metrosexual men with their smooth, hairless jaws and buffed, shiny nails. Lux Style Awards Model of the Year Abbas Jafri must have been reading our minds when a few years ago, he grew a beard that literally started its very own hair revolution. Cascading down to his chest, Jafri’s beard is set off by his long locks and a piercing gaze which leaves women breathless. When Jafri started modelling, pratically every man was clean-shaven and over-groomed. Jafri’s standout look — layers and layers of unkempt hair — had him labelled a ‘fundo’ by the industry. No one could understand why a good-looking man would deliberately grow all that excessive hair and ruin all chances of scoring a photoshoot with top designers. Little did they know that the fashion world would soon be following that beard.
How it started
While on a trip to Vegas with friends, Jafri came across a bunch of gypsies and hobos sitting outside one of the casinos and thought how liberating it must be to not care about one’s hair altogether. Why should a real man fritter away his time shaving and trimming his facial hair? By the time he returned to Pakistan, Jafri had grown a full beard. This flabbergasted the immigration officers. They had seen bearded men go from Pakistan and return clean-shaven, gelled and spiked up; never the other way round.
Setting hearts racing
When Jafri jumped on the beard bandwagon, he was unsure how his look would be received by women. It wasn’t until he was approached one day by a young girl while out with his family that he realised the ravishing effect he had on women. The fan girl ran up to him and gave him a hug, refusing to let go of him. Both sets of parents were left astounded. After the awkardness passed, the girl revealed that she had pictures of him all over her walls and ceiling.
Bearded glory
Within a few years, Jafri’s unconventional look had garnered him tonnes of big projects. He was featured in an Ayesha Omar video and shot an advertisement for Ahmed Bham and Republic. The bearded bloke’s been making us drool every time we see a Bareeze Man billboard, but he’s got his melting hazel eyes set further — he’s just been selected to walk the ramp for Paris Fashion Week, and is on the cusp of becoming an international phenomenon.
Behind the beard
Jafri’s not just a pretty face — he’s a talented cricketer who has played domestic cricket and is currently playing league cricket in the US. And he’s not one of those models who party hard. He’s actually a chilled out, introverted guy who likes to stay out of the limelight. Ironic and yet so loveable considering that he’s always in the limelight!