Hottie of the week: Abbas Jafri

Abbas Jafri: The bearded bloke

Birthday: November 30

Status: Single

Born: Karachi, Pakistan

Who he is

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.

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.

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.

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!

Beard or NOT

What the girls have to say about Jafri's unconventional look

Not often you get to see someone with such unbridled good looks. Love the locks and the beard.  - Mariya

Put stubble, and unruly hair on a guy and I’m absolutely koo-koo for him. And this guy does all those things best! - Taneeya

Long hair — yum — except when it’s longer than mine! Facial hair is very masculine. Groom the beard though! - Zainab

He definitely has an attractive face cut and his eyes say a lot. I wish I could see the rest of his face. - Ayesha

He has that Moses look that very few guys can pull off successfully. Love the fact that the beard is not groomed, which otherwise gives a very metrosexual look on men. - Mifrah

Gives off a stalkerish vibe, I’d avoid him in an alley. - Zara

Barbarian much? A really shocking look but still creative and different. - Saira

Hot Fuzz

The right kind of beard equals the right kind of testosterone levels. And his beard can sometimes tell you more about his feelings and state of mind than his eyes ever can. Everything from laziness to style quotient and confidence level can be judged from the way he ‘scapes his face.

Fawad Khan: If you thought there was no way actor Fawad Khan, who might as well as be Pakistan’s perfect damad, miyaan and abbu, could get any hotter, he just did! Sporting some seriously sexy fuzz on his face, it seems he’s decided to ditch his boy-next-door image for a manlier look. He’s embracing masculinity and exuding more confidence than ever before.

Waleed Khalid: This LSA nominee for Best Male Model knows exactly how to sport a sexy stubble without looking like a complete mountain man. We love his shadow of a beard because it intensifies and accentuates his sculpted jaw and high cheekbones, giving him a dark, brooding look which is still sleek.

Justin Theroux: Who would’ve thought America’s sweetheart Jennifer Aniston would fall for the grizzly Justin Theroux? We’re assuming that Jen’s love for Theroux probably has a whole lot to do with his manly whiskers. Because when you have Theroux in a dark beard and tats all over his body, he literally makes Brad Pitt look like a plastic Ken doll. And we all know Ken was just an accessory in Barbie’s world! 

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, September 16^th, 2012.

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