He works out. He looks good. And he's ready to drop his clothes at a click of the shutter. Men in showbiz are flaunting their bodies, finds BALA CHAUHAN.

The lights turn on and the flesh glistens brown and gold. The light travels a little further and captures more of the body in its stark nudity. The moment freezes in bromide. Scintillating and aesthetic, the profile is of a young male in skin for an advertisement on men's undergarment.

The accent today is as much on male nudity as it is on female. "Why not?" questions one of Bangalore's top models and model co-ordinator Rahul Dev Shetty. "Baring of the male body has been happening for sometime now for the simple reason that women now have the buying power. They are as influential and moneyed as their male colleagues hence there is a clear emphasis on male ads. Earlier, it was only women who were flaunting their bodies. Now times have changed," he adds.

The commercial horizon of metros is fast changing. Men are sharing space with women in advertisements, fashion shows, item numbers etc, baring their bodies et al. Whether it is one Salman Khan flashing his bod at the slightest pretext or a John Abraham baring his chest to entice a young sexy siren, the message from the celluloid world is now on billboards, screaming the arrival of the new age man. "The emphasis is on the male physique. The number of men who work out at gyms to acquire a physique is amazing. Most male models have good physique and they don't have a problem in showing their bodies. In fact, they have an advantage over women. They can go full Monty if required," says another model co-ordinator.

All women's parties at night clubs clearly assert the popularity of male models baring their bodies on the ramp. "Men have become more liberated and so have women. The Rohit Bal show held recently in Delhi on men's underwear was exclusively for women. It was packed! The fact that women can enjoy men's bodies is also a sign of women's liberation. A woman today can go to a pub, have a couple of drinks and scream herself hoarse watching a man strip. It's her revenge for years of being ogled at. It's a feminist revenge," says Bangalore's fashion maestro Prasad Bidapa.

He adds that men are equally proud to show off their bodies. "It's the gym culture that is getting reflected on the ramp. Today, modelling demands boys with good bodies. Those with perfect physique flaunt it. It is the day of the metrosexuals," he adds. Waseem Khan, fashion photographer agrees.

How comfortable are men with stripping? "We work hard to maintain a physique so why not flaunt it?" questions model Rohan. His colleague Ananth says for a model it's essential to have a good physique. "Earlier, there was a demand for lean men. Now, it's men with muscular body who are most wanted. The objective is perhaps to impress women audience," he adds. Srinivas has been modelling for more than a year now. He sees a shift in the fashion industry. "Many things have changed in the profession. The demand for male models has gone up tremendously in the last one year. It's a good shift for men," he says. Srinivas has just completed a show for a branded undergarment. He adds he enjoyed doing it because of the "brand saleability."

According to creative director Lowe Abhijit Ghosh, the emphasis on the male body is purely driven by films, especially Bollywood. "It's something a common man can relate to. Demand for good physique is also reflected in the number of workstations and gyms that are mushrooming in the cities today," he says.

Advertising photographer Kumaran says earlier there was a craze for women models. "Today, we have nice looking guys with flat abs. Moreover, if one were to study the shopping pattern in big cities, one would find more women buying men's shirts than men. The male ads are definitely making their mark," he says.

"Though a man's body is not as good looking as a woman's but if the model has a good physique and the photograph has been shot well, it can look very classic," says Rahul.

Theatre personality and film-maker Mahesh Dattani says women have ultimately "found their voice as consumers. People have come to realise that women are good market potential. Earlier, films were made by men. Today we have a lot of women directors. Also, women are beginning to find men attractive!"

And before the issue gets mired in controversy, let's just accept the fact that men have finally dropped off their mother's petticoats and women have dropped their facade!