Actor-singer Ben Yahr channeled Justin Bieber, Amy Schumer and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine for a new music video that he hopes will inspire members of the queer community to embrace their bodies.
Yahr, who is based in Los Angeles, recreated steamy photos of the aforementioned superstars in the video for “Shape of Me,” which can be viewed above. The 27-year-old “body positivity activist” struck Bieber’s Calvin Klein campaign pose as well as Levine’s charity photo for prostate and testicular cancer awareness in the March 23 clip, which was directed by Matthew Dean Stewart. He also put his take on famous nude or semi-nude shots of Schumer and Miley Cyrus.
“Fit me in the puzzle, ‘cause I am the perfect piece,” Yahr sings in the song, which features music and lyrics by Ryan Amador. “I’ll show off my body, ‘cause I love the shape of me.”
Yahr shot to viral fame in February after he recreated Beyoncé’s pregnancy photos in a stunning pictorial that was featured in The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, People and other media outlets. He told HuffPost that he hopes to further spread his message of body positivity with “Shape of Me,” which he said is “about loving yourself from head to toe, warts and all.”
Recent buzz over Logo’s forthcoming reality series, “Fire Island,” reminded Yahr that “only one type of gay man” is represented in popular culture. “We are conditioned from such a young age by the media that only certain shapes should be celebrated, which is why I decided to use iconic photos of celebrities,” he said. “If there was a brochure of our community, would all of us be included?”
Despite the serious aim of “Shape of Me,” Yahr hopes viewers are inspired to “let loose and shake it” after watching his “silly, naked and joyous” video. “All bodies are beautiful and praise-worthy,” he said, adding, “Life is too short not to dance around in your underwear, right?”
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