Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Reading Lolita in Tehran

I just read a news item on Iran cracking down again on women's dress code. No lose wisps of hair, nor anything showing their figure - must be loose-fitting long clothing that disguises them.

I read Reading Lolita in Tehran a few years ago - great read! A professor of literature had to eventually stop teaching after the 1979 crackdown on women and dress code and all. Her students didn't want to stop, so they met in her home, only the men could not come.

They would shed their burkas at the door, and underneath wore tie-dyed t-shirts and jeans and hoop earrings... After gay get-togethers and book discussions, not only would they have to put back on their burkas, but they had to remember to mask their gay emotions when walking home. If they had so much as a lilt in their walk, a male might 'be tempted', and they could be imprisoned and even disappear. In fact you heard of such stories in the book.

How sad.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Freedom is impossible once a government assumes a role in regulating the people’s eating, sleeping, drinking, smoking, clothing and exercise habits.

I wrote about it here The dress code!

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