The risk of wearing pink
Street wear and politics in Iran
If, like some Iran watchers believe, dress codes represent political freedom in Iran, the Islamic republic has never been freer. President Ahmedinejad is known to be a conservative populist who constantly threatens both US politicians and his own people's freedom of press and speech and movement. Yet, women and men dress more colourful than ever.
ex Ponto Magazine nr. 6
 Colourful street wear
Under the rule of reformist Khatami the main colours where grey, black, brown, dark green and a frivolous dark blue for students. But now streets of big cities are filled with women and girls in yellow, green and pink. Yellow scarf, yellow handbag and yellow shoes are clearly Northern Tehran’s fashion this summer. And the manteaus are more tight than ever: breasts can be distinguished and waists are accentuated with belts. sometimes we see part of a neck, toes, part of a calve. Girls wear make up which almost lights up in the dark. All this was unthinkable in public space seven years ago.
Boys
Although European newspapers publish articles about the ban on styling gel for boys, there is hardly an Iranian youngster to be seen without it. Even schoolboys sometimes wear their hair in spikes: straight upward. T-shirts with short sleeves are ment to show of muscles, western style jeans are slim fit.
Distraction
So what does this tell us about politics, if anything? 'Maybe Ahmedinejad wants us to think about nothing but our looks,' say some teenage boys on Imam square in Esphahan, one of the biggest cities of Iran. 'I think he wants to distract us from things that are really important: politics and freedom of speech. We can't publish or read what we want, but we spend our time listening to music and dressing up for the Friday evening walk along Zayandeh Rud.' And indeed, boys and girls sit together on the famous bridges or in the grass along this dazzling river which flows from west to east through the heart of the city. They talk and tease.
An Iranian sociologist thinks this freedom is allowed because Ahmedinejad needs young people whenever the US really declare war. ‘He doesn’t want to alienate the youngsters from him. So he allows them this kind of freedom.’
Terror
But not all that is seen is really allowed. Young people do take a chance when they try to extend the limits of what they are allowed to wear. 'I still dress modestly,' says a 25 year old teacher. 'The moral police use a different method to scare the hell out of us now. One of my colleagues, who always wears a lot of make up and very colourful clothes was kidnapped by the police one month ago. They took her to a distant place and raped her. After two days they let her go. Her parents didn't know where she was. They thought she had died. But they don't kill you, you know, so to live to tell.'
Klik here to read the persian translation of this article on Shahrzad News.
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