Hot bods, thorny issue: Netizens drool over shirtless durian sellers in Malaysia, but health ministry raises hygiene concerns

It's been a hot durian season in Malaysia and these sellers could have just turned up the heat further.

Netizens went gaga over the men at Durian Papa Muda, a stall in Kajang, Selangor after a video of them - all shirtless - went viral on TikTok in June.

The 37-second clip uploaded by the stall has since garnered over 980,000 views and more than 30,000 likes. It has also attracted many customers to patronise the stall.

In the video, a shirtless, muscular man wearing sunglasses is loading a basket with durians. Sporting a dazzling smile, he also poses for the camera, with a durian in one hand and a basket on his shoulder.

A few other topless men with ripped bodies are also unloading a truck of durians or moving baskets around.

The men are also seen hard at work, shaving away at the sharper thorns on the durians and making small incisions on the shells for easier cutting later.

@durianpapamuda Orang asyik tanya siapa papa muda? Mereka ni la papa muda 😂 #menjawabpersoalan #durianpapamuda #bangi #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #datoabubakarbaginda ♬ suara asli - 𝕸𝖚𝖘𝖎𝖐 𝕻𝖆𝖕𝖆 - 𝕻𝖆𝖕𝖆_𝕭𝖔𝐲

Many netizens gushed over the buff men.

"I've been here for two hours," a user joked. 

"I want to comment but I'm afraid because I don't want to sleep outside," one netizen admitted, referring to how her husband might be unhappy about her drooling over the durian sellers.

"Are there any vacant job positions? Even peeling the shell is okay too. I promise to work here!" another user said.

More recently, the shirtless studs were also captured in a video by Facebook user Mia Saripah, which was posted on Wednesday (July 10), along with the equally thirsty caption: "Suddenly, I want to eat durian." 

Some flak from netizens

However, fewer netizens were impressed this time round.

"I need to wash my eyes after watching this," one user said.

Many others complained that the men were "selling their bodies" instead of selling durians.

"Selling durian or selling dignity?" another user questioned.

Some also raised hygiene concerns, wondering if their body sweat would contaminate the durian.

Speaking to Malay publication Harian Metro, one of the shirtless men, Muhammad Al Irfan, said that he had no intention of showing off his body in a bid to go viral or attract customers.

The 25-year-old recalled that he had been sorting fruit that day when the durians arrived. Because it was a hot afternoon, he took off his shirt.

"I didn't know there was a customer recording a video," he said. "My sister also [recorded] for content on TikTok.

"I didn't know that what was shared got attention from the public until many customers came - most [after watching the] TikTok video."

His cousin, 31-year-old Muhamad Amirul Zaihan Osman, said the stall is family-run, and that he recognised the influence of viral TikTok videos after customers flocked to their stall.

"Last year, we were all thin and skinny. It was only this year that we built our bodies and became active at the gym again," he added.

"I didn't think the video would go viral… [Irfan] took off his clothes because of the hot weather, not because he was showing off."

Responding to online criticism, another Papa Muda worker Tengku Zarith Jazmine, 27, said that the feedback they've received from customers who patronised their stall in person has been positive.

"We also guarantee a refund of the durian if [it is bad]… It is normal that there is criticism on TikTok," she said. 

It is not the first time that topless durian sellers with sculpted physiques have gone viral in Malaysia.

In 2022, Ashton Koh in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur flexed his muscles as part of a marketing gimmick to sell durians, The Star reported.

Ery Syarif, a father of three, in Kuala Terengganu caught the eyes of netizens the following year, showing off his chiselled body while clad in just long pants and slippers.

Hygiene concerns: Malaysia's Health Ministry

Durian Papa Muda's video has also drawn attention from the authorities. 

According to a report by The Star on Friday (July 12), the Malaysian Health Ministry said that they are taking the matter seriously due to hygiene and cleanliness concerns.

"The approach of flexing muscles to sell food is not something we condone," deputy health minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said during a press conference on the same day.

He explained that while it helped boost durian sales, the act set a poor standard for the industry.

The ministry has since contacted Durian Papa Muda and is considering the appropriate action to be taken against those responsible.

ALSO READ: Hot and thorny: Shirtless durian seller in Malaysia has netizens going bananas

khooyihang@asiaone.com