U.N. women’s group gives top job to a male Bollywood star

UN Women, the body of the United Nations focused on gender equality and the empowerment of women, pulled a fast one on us this week when they named a man as its Goodwill Ambassador. But not just any guy, this one:

That’s Bollywood star, Farhan Akhtar. You might think his appointment would spark outrage on social media. But Twitter seems to love this dude.

http://instagram.com/p/vXi5bLQ2eb/?modal=true

But, if you mine the Internet long enough, you might come across this guest comment by “Nayana,” who had this to say on IBN Live, CNN’s English-language news channel in India:

See, not everyone’s happy.

But the folks at UN Women have their reasons. Akhtar will serve as ambassador to South Asia, a region that has seen a spike in high-profile incidents of violence against women, most prominently the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a bus in New Delhi.

Incidents like this prompted a public service campaign launched last year in India:

This video has over 4 million views on YouTube alone. And that’s where Akhtar comes in. In addition to his life as a Bollywood star, Akhtar launched a social initiative and awareness group in 2013 called Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD). He’s been a vocal champion for women’s rights in India ever since then — going on a year and a half now.

But can a man do a “woman’s job.” The UN says yes.

“We need creative and committed men like Farhan to push the gender equality and women’s empowerment agenda,” UN Women executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in a statement. It’s true — every civil rights movement needs allies.

So while it may be unexpected to find a man sitting in one of the UN’s top chairs for women, we should be glad to have allies — especially when they’re Bollywood stars who can dance like this:

Cleo Stiller is a digital producer covering the intersections of sex, tech and culture. Words to live by: get your money’s worth.