Fahad Mustafa appeared in an interview to promote his latest horror thriller Zombeid, but all anyone could talk about was what he was wearing.

In a style of censure usually reserved for women and their choices, Mustafa received intense public backlash for wearing a pair of shorts and sitting with his legs crossed.

The actor was called “shameless”, “vulgar” and all sorts of other names.

Mishi Khan, the actress known more for her social media commentary than her acting, even chided him for showcasing his “beautiful hairy legs”. She said different places had different dress codes and it wasn’t appropriate for male celebrities to be wearing shorts during interviews. “You’re not at some beach party,” she remarked. She also talked about how women face so much more flak for these things.

However, it seems Mustafa knew this was going to happen and simply did not care enough about the haters. In the interview, he made a point about double standards in Pakistani society.

He asked what the big deal was if he did wear them. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve been wearing them since I was a child, they’re just shorts. What’s the matter? Why is everyone telling me what to wear and what not to wear?”