It was an exciting weekend for the Malaysian music industry as the Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) took place on Sunday (16th February) at Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur. Singers, lyricists, composers and producers gathered to celebrate each other’s achievements, with many memorable moments throughout the event.
However, a handful of male influencers caused quite a stir online after arriving in extravagant and flamboyant attire. The internet personalities received immense backlash from netizens, and even actor Sharnaaz Ahmad and comedian Achey Bocey had something to say about it.
For context, during the red carpet before the main event, several male influencers arrived wearing feminine outfits and makeup, with a few even donning dresses. Netizens criticised the content creators for their fashion choices, deeming them inappropriate. Taking to Instagram, Sharnaaz Ahmad shared his thoughts on the matter.
“There’s so much going on these days, especially with these kinds of men. I honestly don’t care about your gender or sexuality. However, this is a Muslim-majority country. I don’t understand how the media are allowed to broadcast this kind of culture nowadays. Back in the day, men used to be banned from TV for having long hair. I feel there should be some course of action taken before it spreads. Let’s make sure this doesn’t go too out of control,” he said in his latest post.
Comedian Achey Bocey shared the same sentiment, posting on Instagram yesterday (Monday, 17th February) saying, “AJL was great. What wasn’t great was the red carpet. Which country am I in?”. In his caption, the entertainer claimed that his daughter asked about the genders of certain attendees, as they appeared androgynous on social media.
Meanwhile, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) sternly posted a reminder on Facebook that Muslims are prohibited from dressing up as the opposite sex. Selangor Exco, Najwan Halimi became aware of the issue and urged TV3 to prevent something similar from happening again for future events.
“It is not appropriate for such an incident to occur at an arts award ceremony that has been organised for the past 40 years to celebrate the best works among the country’s composers and lyricists,” he wrote online. Although many have responded that the influencers should be arrested, there have been no reports suggesting that legal action will be taken against them. However, JAKIM stated that they have contacted the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to monitor and filter content that may not be suitable for Malaysian audiences.
Listen to Sharnaaz Ahmad’s opinion about the situation:
One of the original viral videos that have been taken down:
