Iranian
Beauty Queens: Past
& Present
Beauty, while prized by all women, is especially
celebrated in the Iranian culture. Why do you think Iranian women
are always amongst the most stylish, perfectly coiffed and made-up
women, in addition to their other, more internal qualities? The
desire for attainment of physical perfection amongst Iranian women
is illustrated by their constant grooming in the thousands of beauty
salons that have endured even the Islamic regime. It is this beauty
that the Islamic regime has tried in vain to suppress and hide behind
drab clothing and restrictive hejab. In 2002, after more than 2
decades of Islamic rule, Iranians tried to organize for the very
first time a pageant called the “Qualified Girl” contest. Immediately,
they drew the ire of hard-line newspapers and individuals who vowed
to risk their lives so that this contest would not take place. Just
goes to show you how much these religious fanatics are afraid of
beauty. Before the revolution, beauty contests had attained great
popularity in Iran, with a frenzied national voting system to rival
that of American Idol. Today, Iranian women in exile from their
country have continued this tradition, entering contests and organizing
them as well, and of course winning awards all over the world. These
pictures try to capture Iranian beauty queens from the past to the
present.
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