Crackdowns Just Help Business

Article 2.3, “In Tehran, Boutiques Stock hot outerwear under the counter” by Farnaz Fassihi, describes the growing desire women have in Iran to bend the laws regarding dress. Iranian designers are “determined to transform hijab from shapeless to chic.” In Islamic Sharia law, women over the age of ten are required to conceal their hair by wearing a hijab (or veil) normally black or brown and loose, shapeless and long.   

However, throughout the years, women have been trying to bend the rules, raising hemlines and wearing tight clothing showing off their figures. After the Islamic Republic victory in 1979, however, the government would not allow women to be improperly dressed. They went so far as to fine and arrest women who did not follow the Islamic law. Obviously, this was a bit aggressive, and as soon as the restrictions were widened, women began to take control of their own dress. Islamic women tend to have similar excuses when it comes to why they go away from the norm of the hijab or do not wear them at all. These excuses include that they are afraid they won't get the job they want or they won't find a husband. As we have talked about first impressions before, we know that they are important. We dress to express ourselves and everyone should have the freedom to. Therefore, these women feel the need to go against the traditional ways and stand out and make a good impression.

We can relate the feeling of a dress code becoming less restricted with public and private schooling. Junior highs and high schools tend to have dress codes that girls do not like to comply  to. They want to express their own feelings through their dress and are unable to through strict limitations, especially in private schools where one must wear a uniform each day. After leaving high school, it is an amazing feeling to not have to worry about abiding by school rules, and dressing the way we want to dress. The women following the Islamic law were “tired of religious intrusions in their lives” and we understand their desire to want to dress to impress. 

Of course, as restrictions loosened, women took to wearing bright colors, sheer tops, and sexier clothing. The government, noticing the high demand throughout clothing shops, began to crackdown again. However, they took a different approach by fining stores that sold “Un-Islamic" clothing. As the government constrains, more women want the “sexier” clothing and shop owners still find ways to meet this demand. They hide revealing clothing in the back of the store and only bring them out upon request. As women are forced more heavily to abide by a strict law, they are more likely to rebel against them.