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IRANIAN WOMEN - BEFORE AND AFTER THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION

Published
8 February 2019

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The Islamic Revolution of 1979 brought seismic changes to Iran, not least for
women. One area that has come under scrutiny is the way women dress and wear
their hair - the old Shah, in the 1930s, banned the veil and ordered police to
forcibly remove headscarves. But in the early 1980s, the new Islamic authorities
imposed a mandatory dress code that required all women to wear the hijab.

Here are some images showing what life was like for Iranian women before the
institution of clerical rule, and how it has changed since.




BEFORE THE REVOLUTION

Image source, A. Abbas / Magnum Photos


Studying at Tehran University in 1977: While many women were already in higher
education at the time of the revolution, the subsequent years saw a marked
increase in the number attending university. This was in part because the
authorities managed to convince conservative families living in rural areas to
allow their daughters to study away from home.

"They tried to stop women from attending university, but there was such a
backlash they had to allow them to return," says Baroness Haleh Afshar, a
professor of women's studies at the University of York who grew up in Iran in
the 1960s.

"Some educated people left Iran, and the authorities realised in order to run
the country they needed to educate both men and women."


Image source, Bruno Barbey / Magnum Photos


Window shopping in Tehran in 1976: Before the revolution, the hijab was already
widely worn but many women also chose to don Western-style clothes, including
tight-fitting jeans, miniskirts and short-sleeved tops. "The shoes haven't
changed - and the passion for shoes is in all of us! Women in Iran are no
different from women the world over, and going shopping is just a means for
women to get away from every day stress," says Prof Afshar.



Image source, Bruno Barbey / Magnum Photos


Friday picnic in Tehran in 1976: Families and friends tend to get together on
Fridays, which are weekend days in Iran. "Picnics are an important part of
Iranian culture and are very popular amongst the middle classes. This has not
changed since the revolution. The difference is, nowadays, men and women sitting
together are much more self-aware and show more restraint in their
interactions," says Prof Afshar.


Image source, A. Abbas / Magnum Photos


Hair salon in Tehran in 1977: "This is a scene you would no longer expect to see
in Iran - but even after the Islamic Revolution, hairdressers continued to
exist," says Prof Afshar. "Nowadays you wouldn't see a man inside the
hairdressers - and women would know to cover up their hair as soon as they
walked out the door. Some people may also operate secret salons in their own
homes where men and women can mix."


Image source, Magnum Photos


Bodyguards surround the shah in 1971: A young woman approaches Shah Mohammad
Reza Pahlavi (far right) at a huge party marking the 2,500th anniversary of the
Persian monarchy - the extravagance of the event was widely condemned by his
left-wing and clerical opponents. "By this time, the shah was already very much
disliked and some believe this image of excess and indulgence may have
contributed to events leading up to the revolution eight years later," Prof
Afshar explains.


Image source, Bruno Barbey / Magnum Photos


Walking down a snowy street in Tehran in 1976: "You cannot stop women walking in
the streets of Iran, but you wouldn't see this today - her earrings and make up
so clearly on show," Prof Afshar says. "There is this concept of 'decency' in
Iran - so nowadays women walking in the streets are likely to wear a coat down
to her knees and a scarf."






AFTER THE REVOLUTION

Image source, Getty Images


Women rally against the hijab in 1979: Soon after taking power, Iran's new
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini decreed that all women had to wear
the veil - regardless of religion or nationality. On 8 March - International
Women's Day - thousands of women from all walks of life turned out to protest
against the law.


Image source, Getty Images


Protest outside the US embassy in Tehran in 1979: Revolutionary students took
dozens of US embassy staff hostage while thousands of anti-US demonstrators
surrounded the compound.



"At this time it was normal to see different types of people allied in their
absolute hatred of America in Iran," says Prof Afshar. "The Americans and the
British have a long history in Iran of attempting to both influence and take
over oil in Iran, so this deep-rooted mistrust of the US and UK goes back a long
way."


Image source, Getty Images


Family heads to Friday prayers in 1980: "Friday prayers are a time for people
who are believers or supporters of the Islamic authorities who don't want to be
labelled as dissidents to go out and get together - it's a moment of
solidarity," says Prof Afshar. "But they are still very much within the male
domain. The woman would not be allowed into the same room as the men - they
would sit in a separate area for prayer, away from the men."


Image source, Jean Gaumy / Magnum Photos


Wedding dress shopping in Tehran in 1986: "The wedding dresses on display are
all western - Iranian women will essentially wear what they want as long as it's
behind closed doors," Prof Afshar explains. "Weddings and parties are supposed
to be segregated, so it doesn't matter what you wear if there are only female
guests present. But there are mixed-sex parties that do still go on - some
people hire bouncers to watch the door, others pay the local police to turn a
blind eye."


Image source, BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images


Walking in Tehran in 2005: Not all women in Iran opt to wear the black chador, a
cloak that covers the body from head to toe and only leaves the face exposed.
Many prefer to wear loosely fitted headscarves and coats. "The real question is
how far back do you push your scarf? Women have their own small acts of
resistance and often try as far as possible to push their scarves back," says
Prof Afshar.


Image source, Getty Images


Caspian Sea beach in 2005: Iranian women are forbidden from bathing in public
wearing swimsuits. "Men and women aren't supposed to swim together - but they
find ways around this by renting boats to take them far out into the sea, where
they can swim side-by-side," says Prof Afshar.


Image source, Getty Images


Pro-hijab rally in Tehran in 2006: More than 25 years after the revolution,
women backing the hardliners in the establishment staged their own rallies to
protest against what they saw as the authorities' failure to enforce the
compulsory hijab law. Here, the women are all dressed in black chadors with the
exception of a little girl.



Image source, BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images


Watching football from a Tehran shopping centre in 2008: Though women were never
officially banned from watching men's football matches in Iran, they are often
refused entry to stadiums and some of those who have tried have been detained.
Before the revolution, women were allowed to attend sporting events.

All pictures copyright.


MORE ON THIS STORY

 * The plane journey that set Iran's revolution in motion
   
   1 February 2019
   
   

 * Iranian women threw off the hijab - then what?
   
   19 May 2018
   
   

 * Facing jail sentence for removing my veil
   
   7 December 2018
   
   









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