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 There are no borders when it comes to the body beautiful.
One of the earliest scenes in the documentary Afghan Muscles shows a group of gym managers arguing over the rules of a bodybuilding contest in Kabul.
Standing by are the buff competitors, pumped to perfection and waiting silently as everyone starts to lose their temper.
“Don’t shit with me or I will personally fuck you in the ass!” yells one manager.
“Back off, you homo!” screams another.
Yes, they take their bodybuilding seriously in Afghanistan.
Onlookers clap, cheer and whistle, adoring the contestant’s half-naked bodies: “Beautiful! He is beautiful!” shouts the crowd. Presumably, any suggestion of homoerotic undertones to the display would be a purely Western observation?
In this war-ravaged country, young men dream of fame and muscles. Bodybuilding affirms masculinity and bestows family honour. It allows poor men to attain celebrity. In this Muslim society, the masculine form becomes almost as revered as religion itself.
Hamid Shirzai works as a guard by day but lives to become a bodybuilding champion. His brother and uncle were national champions, but died tragically in a plane crash on their way to a contest. He now pumps iron as a way to restore status to his family.
Hamid’s father just wants him to marry a nice girl, but his son brushes these demands aside. He’s too focussed on the national title. You’d think his father would understand that there are too many buff bodies to distract him, but no; he even prevents Hamid from working out by insisting they pray together at their local mosque. Annoyed, Hamid consents, but says as an aside, “A couple of choruses should be enough.”
When he makes the national team, Hamid is whisked off to Bahrain for the Mr. Asia contest. After a nervous first flight he stops in Dubai, awe-struck by its opulence.
Hamid can barely comprehend how vastly the successful Arab country contrasts with his dustbowl home; but it’s the oiled, glistening, and sometimes grotesque, half-naked bodies of the Mr. Asia contest that are the real eye-opener. All you can do is gape as the cult of Muscle Mary reaches a new cultural level. Remarkably, in a room full of Muslims, Buddhists and Christians, the body beautiful unites the common man.
Afghan Muscles may tease you with its eye-candy, but also reveals how some men attempt to rise above poverty.
Afghan Muscles airs 10pm Tuesday on SBS.
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Arts & Entertainment 
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