The modern-day relevance of Zyzz’s legacy 15 years after his shock death in Thailand

Long before the era of modern fitness influencers, one man ruled Sydney’s festival circuit: Zyzz.

Born Aziz Shavershian, Zyzz burst onto the scene in the late 2000s and became one of Australia’s first-ever internet personalities. His online fame was fuelled by YouTube flexing videos, a passion for bodybuilding, and a signature festival aesthetic that consisted of impeccably styled hair and little more than tiny shorts.

At the time Zyzz made a name for himself, Instagram had only just started; he had built a following on YouTube and online forums. But in 2011, at the height of his viral fame, tragedy struck when he died suddenly on holiday in Thailand aged 22.

Today, 15 years after his tragic death, his story still dominates the internet. The newly released Stan Original documentary Poster Boy: Becoming Zyzz explores his rise to fame and the controversy surrounding his passing, answering some of the questions fans have been asking for years.

The documentary’s director Selina Miles spoke to nine.com.au about the project and the relevance of sharing his story now.

“I mean, his fan base online is pretty staggering,” Miles said. “Even now on Instagram there’s over 3 million posts that have been hashtagged with Zyzz... so you really can’t underestimate the size of his following.”

Miles believes the character Aziz created and the message he spread resonated with a lot of people, particularly young men. “I think that there hasn’t been anything like that since, as far as I’m aware, just in terms of the scale and the time in which it started, and just it’s a bit of a phenomenon and a one-off,” she added.

Miles also noted strong parallels between Zyzz’s era and current social media trends. “I think there are a lot of parallels between Aziz’s story and some of the things we’ve been seeing in the news more recently around looksmaxxing,” she said.

“So, although this did happen 15 years ago, it feels like there’s a lot of modern-day relevance and there’s some really valuable lessons that we can learn from Aziz’s story.”

Looksmaxxing is an online self-improvement practice from the manosphere focused on obsessively maximising physical attractiveness. Popular on TikTok and Reddit, the practice is frequently criticised for pushing extreme behaviours – ranging from severe fasting and dangerous DIY facial surgeries to steroid use and toxic, beauty-obsessed ‘blackpill’ ideologies.

However, when it comes to looksmaxxing versus the ‘aesthetic’ message Aziz preached, there is a clear distinction.

“It seems that a lot of the modern looksmaxxing vernacular is about being better than others, and it’s hyper-competitive,” Miles explained. “And it seems to be built on this belief system that the way to get ahead is to put down other people, so I think that that has evolved.”

“The main difference that people point out between Aziz’s message and the message that’s being shared by modern-day looksmaxxers is that one of his famous quotes is, ‘We’re all going to make it,’” Miles continued . “At heart I think [Zyzz] really did want to portray a message of inclusion; it was about self-acceptance and self-love and not taking yourself too seriously.”

While that belief was clear throughout the documentary, Miles acknowledged the complexity, noting she doesn’t know if he always followed through with his actions and wouldn’t call him a martyr.

That complex culture extends to his family. The legacy Zyzz started has been carried on by his brother, Said Shavershian – who still goes by the username Chestbrah. Now 40, Said remains deeply ingrained in the bodybuilding world and openly uses steroids.

“It’s interesting to see that despite what happened to Aziz and the harms that he experienced as a result of his involvement with this bodybuilding culture that his brother kind of stayed a part of it,” Miles explained.

“I think that we all cope with grief differently. There’s a lot of the story that I wish we could have included in the film, but I think this is how he’s learned to cope, and I think he’d be comfortable with me saying that.”

Miles believes Said is much more informed of the risks than his brother was, noting that more research and harm-minimisation advocacy around steroid use exist today.

Ultimately, Miles wants viewers to see the nuance: while Aziz was an inspiration to many, he also made catastrophic errors.

The documentary features interviews with those closest to Aziz leading up to his death, though his parents are notably absent on camera. However, with their help, Miles revealed the official cause of his death for the first time in the documentary.

While Aziz had an enlarged heart, the toxicology report found his cause of death was acute respiratory failure due to the combined use of morphine, cocaine, and benzodiazepines.

“All of our participants were very aware of how divisive this persona is and how it can sort of inspire different reactions in different people,” Miles explained. “And there was a healthy respect for what it would mean to participate. Then on top of that, these are Aziz’s closest people, so I think there’s a sense of protectiveness over their friend.”

Carrying such a personal story was significant for everyone involved, but their shared goal was clear.

“But I think at the end of the day, they all really were on the same page about wanting to make Aziz’s life and his legacy mean something positive, and to help other young people that look up to him, just to have all the information,” Miles explained.

“To understand what happened to him and, and for this to be a cautionary tale,that can hopefully protect other young men from going down the same path.

“I think that was a really big motivator for everyone involved.”

The Stan Original documentary Revealed - Poster Boy: Becoming Zyzz is now streaming, only on Stan.

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