Thoroughly Modern Man

Fitness and Lifestyle Influencer & Founder of Anasharqi, Emile Zarife, talks about how men should embrace all aspects of self-care and its correlation to feeling good

Lebanese-born social media influencer and healthy living advocate, Emile Zarife is dedicated to encouraging Middle Eastern men to evolve their masculinity without losing sight of their Arabic heritage although that wasn’t initially his goal.

In 2015, he launched AnaSharqi, which translates to ‘I am Middle Eastern,’ an Arabic lifestyle guide. What started as a platform about fashion, wellness and self-care quickly grew to include the importance
of prioritising fitness f rom the perspectives of both physical and mental health.

Speaking to Zarife, it is apparent that he is completely comfortable with who he is, both within himself and as a Middle Eastern man. He is centred, open, engaging and candid, particularly on the importance of men establishing skincare routines, something he wishes he had done sooner. “I’m 38 now but it was only recently that I started using the right products for my skin,” he said adding that “Every man should look after his skin, it doesn’t make him less of a man.”

As a fitness influencer, Zarife regularly reminds his followers of the benefits of staying active and the positive effect exercise can have on their lives. However, he also takes a ref reshing approach to encourage people to adopt an active lifestyle, which includes not imposing his six-day-a-week workout
regimen on anyone. “Choosing a healthier lifestyle needs gradual changes. People try to go from not exercising to exercising for an hour a day, or not eating well to eating very healthily overnight and that just leads to f rustration. Gradually adopting healthy habits are key to success when it comes to fitness.”

Speaking up and expressing emotions are equally important when it comes to maintaining mental health, and Zarife admits it’s taken work over the years to speak openly with confidence, having been shy initially about upsetting the people around him. Ana Sharqi is a space that addresses the harmful stereotypes about Middle Eastern men not showing emotions because to do so is considered weak and goes against the role they have to fill in society.

“But these men are humans who feel different things and face different challenges and have to manage their mental health just like all of us. It’s not weak to talk about the problems you are facing, to be vulnerable or to cry,” said Zarife.

Zarife stressed that good mental well-being does not mean just being happy all the time and never feeling anything negative, but rather it is an overall sense of feeling good and functioning well both individually as well as in relationships, the ability to deal with the ups and downs of life, as well to have
a good connection with your community and having sense of purpose and feeling value.

As an extension of this ongoing conversation, Zarife also recently launched SharqiTalks, a podcast dedicated to Middle Eastern men, where he can discuss the topics around male mental health, toxic masculinity, well-being, fashion, fitness, and self-care in depth. “I hope in 2023 that Middle Eastern men will embrace their masculinity while enjoying looking good and not worrying about what society will think of them if they express any emotions.”

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This article appeared in Issue 002 – the Men’s Edition