Fashion Rules: At Dawn, We Head to Iran
Eide Shoma Mobarak! Happy Persian New Year! The first day of Spring also happens to be Persian New Year. Now, let’s clarify something. The people who celebrate Persian New Year are not from Persia; they are from Iran. The southern area of Iran was previously known as Persis which led to the region being called Persia by outside countries [1]. The Greek people and other cultures began to reference the entire area of Iran as Persia up until 1935 when it was officially recognized as Iran, meaning the land of the Aryans [1]. It is interesting to note that Iranians were originally a part of the Aryan race [2]. During this time, the country broke away from British and Russian rule as Reza Shah led the region to freedom [3]. Iranians have no issue being called Persian as it is a part of their culture; however, some prefer one over the other as they attempt to adapt to American politics [3]. Some conservatives within this culture will refer to themselves as Persian to not associate with Iran and the negative attention it has in American politics.
Enough of the lesson, let’s dive into the history of fashion in Iran. In the 1930s, ruler Reza Shah had police remove any hijabs or head scarves from women, banning them altogether [4]. He believed in letting people make their own way in deciding a belief system. Unfortunately, the Islamic Revolution reversed everything, essentially taking many steps backward, making it mandatory for all women to wear a head scarf or face punishment. The punishment for not wearing a headpiece in public was put into effect in 1983 by Parliament and ranged from 74 lashes to 60 days in prison [5]. Why is it so important for women to cover themselves? The culture believes modest dressing prevents distraction and promotes Islamic culture by not giving in to Western ways of dressing [5]. Women’s sexuality was placed in the spotlight as the veil, or head scarf, was a true symbol of the revolution. The country’s new leader wanted to force out any outside Western influence [6]. Women, being the creative, powerful, and resilient species we are, began to take this as a challenge. Many women took to the streets, still protesting this controversial issue today, while others decided to be creative as they focused on other areas of themselves to elevate in society. This ranges from emphasizing their eyes with light make-up, adding jewelry, wearing scarves with bold colors and prints, etc. One argument that can be made about the use of the head scarf, and I am not suggesting it is okay to suppress women by forcing them to wear hijabs, is that it is not all bad. Let’s remove religion, oppression, and the forcing of wearing head scarves. I want to just zone in on the use of a head scarf or hijab or veil. Dressing conservatively cannot be frowned down upon; women can respect their bodies in many ways. We can appreciate that one woman’s version of respecting her body is dressing however she wants, while another may believe covering the body is respect in its true form. She believes dressing conservatively leaves something for the imagination. Is it wrong to want to not show your body to the whole world? The important thing here is that there should exist a right to show your body and a right to not show your body. It can be romantic without the oppression. The woman wants to save her body and the intimacy that comes with it for her husband or partner. If only it was her choice! True feminism is the right of choice.
Aside from the head scarf, Iranian women’s clothing tends to be conservative in public. Chadors are full length pieces of black fabric used as a cloak to cover the entire body, except for the face [7]. Chadors can be reserved for visiting a holy site, but some older women wear it every day. Many Iranians treat black as the only color that clothing is made in, as they wear black dresses, shirts, skirts, and pants to weddings, funerals, birthdays, and daily events. Men’s clothing is not as conservative; they can wear short sleeve shirts with pants. Men are not allowed to publicly sport shorts or capris unless on the beach [7].
Now, I would like to discuss the current trend of balaclavas. It is interesting to me how the United States and other countries like France can so easily pick apart the use of hijabs as they stereotype Muslims as terrorists, but when it is convenient for them, they jump on the trend. Balaclavas are headpieces that cover the entire head and lower face, leaving the eyes out. They are used to keep the wearer warm and prevent glasses from fogging. Balaclavas largely resemble hijabs and can even be worn by Muslims as head scarves. This headpiece is trending right now and gained popularity during the pandemic as a form of face mask [8]. The balaclava originated in the 1850s as a way for British troops to stay warm during the Crimean War’s Battle of Balaclava [8]. From 2018 to today, trending fashion capitals like New York and Paris have balaclavas on runways as a symbol of fashion. Vetements sported the trend, along with face masks, in 2018 as Demna was a key designer there [8]. Balaclavas and babushkas (head scarves tied under the chin) have both been trending in couture fashion recently. Another reason for the trend, especially during the pandemic, is to create a social barrier from the world [8]. People feel safer not having to show off their faces on the streets. Women have noticed they do not get cat called as much when they wear a face covering. They also appreciate the privacy of it. Some who believe facial recognition by the government is growing will use balaclavas or face masks as a form of privacy to prevent the government from spying on them in public. However you wear it or whatever the reason may be, the balaclava trend has also brought with it a huge religious controversy. Many Muslims feel ignored and disrespected as non-Muslims jump on the band wagon to sport the fashion trend. France has a current culture of Islamophobia by its citizens. Many people advocated for the banning of hijabs in the country and, in 2010/2011, full-face veils were essentially outlawed in public spaces, and still are today [9]. This was known as the Burqa/Face Veil ban. This is the exact definition of hypocrisy. France banned face coverings due to discrimination and the generalization/stereotype that Muslims who wear face coverings are terrorists. This only gets worse with time as France mandated face masks in public during the 2020 pandemic but still banned Muslim face veils [9]. How does this make any sense? What a great way to ostracize one race or religion, making them feel less than. Don’t worry though, when it is fashionable or to prevent the spread of a virus, it is strongly supported to wear a headpiece or face covering. France Vogue will even post the balaclava being worn by a famous icon like Julia Fox with a caption “yes to the headscarf” [10]. The caption was eventually deleted amid the outright racism it promoted. It was clear- a non-Muslim, white woman could be labeled trendy by wearing a head scarf, but the hijab is a “uniform of terrorists,” as stated by the French government [10]. Iranian women will continue to wear the head scarf, but their reasoning may differ. It may be to represent their culture, to respect their family, to embrace the privacy of it, or, simply, to wear it out of comfort. Older women grew up with the head scarf; their mothers/sisters/grandmothers wore them, and it is all they know. Others will continue to fight for the right of choice. What France did was outright ridiculous; they are just like Iran as they are forcing women to listen to their rules on what they can or cannot wear in society. Trends should not depict what is acceptable to wear in public.
Speaking of trends, what is the latest fashion wear in Iran? Iranian women are currently draping themselves in trench coats as these pieces cover the arms well and are at or below the knee in length [11]. Hair is still being covered by head scarves or shawls, with woman adding color to change their looks. Chadors are still worn in religious or holy places, but they are now being made in a variety of fabrics like lace [11]. Trousers and dark stockings are still used to cover the legs of women, while men wear suits to the workplace. Overall, brighter colors are being seen to better represent the wearer of the clothes, and younger women are draping the head scarf loosely, oftentimes showing pieces of hair. Modern fashion tends to prevail.
Fashion is used to amplify personalities, identify people and how they feel, and provide comfort as well as confidence to the wearer. Iranian, or Persian, fashion is no different. Unfortunately, beliefs will be different based on cultures and religions, making it hard for our world to ever truly get along; hypocrisy will always exist, even in the fashion industry. It is important that we hold people accountable. Vogue fashion should be a bit more understanding and empathetic. France cannot blatantly accept face coverings for one race but not another. Our world will always have problems, but how long is it going to take for men to stop making decisions for women. Let women wear what they want when they want. Happy Women’s History Month and Happy Persian New Year. Stay tuned for more on culture in fashion.
REFERENCES
[1] https://www.britannica.com/place/Persia
[2] https://www.iranchamber.com/geography/articles/persia_became_iran.php
[3] https://theculturetrip.com/middle-east/iran/articles/how-did-iran-get-its-name/
[4] https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/08/06/iranian-women-rebel-against-dress-code#
[5] https://www.dw.com/en/why-iranian-authorities-force-women-to-wear-a-veil/a-56014027
[6] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47032829
[7] http://www.aitotours.com/aboutiran/6/clothing/default.aspx
[9] https://time.com/6049226/france-hijab-ban/
[10] https://www.cnn.com/style/article/vogue-france-headscarf-instagram-scli-intl/index.html