Male model Ziad al-Mesfer is testing gender norms in Saudi Arabia


Along with ardent fans – mostly bubbly teenage girls who follow him on Snapchat – the crowd gawking at the recent Riyadh shoot included one irate middle-aged man who got out of his car to denounce Mesfer as “gay”, a potential capital offence in Saudi Arabia.Even as other male models and would-be influencers follow his lead, Mesfer remains in a class by himself.