14 DAY TRIAL // If I think back on my teenage years, up until my mid-20s, I could put to paper recollections of a partying lifestyle and of things I did or said in the company of similarly minded people at these parties that would make me blush and my mother not want to talk to me for at least half a year. We’ve all done it: we’ve all been young and reckless and, sometimes, even exceptionally stupid because we were young (and probably a bit intoxicated too).
We’ve all taken this for granted: we were young, ergo we had “the right” to party and have fun and, as the saying goes, enjoy life. Before the responsibilities and the worries that come with being an adult.
Not all youths can do that or, at least, not in theory. Under the strict regime in Iran, young women and young men (girls and boys, call them how you best see fit) must not congregate unless they’re united by blood ties or are married.
They’re not allowed to hold hands in public, let alone kiss or hug or whatever else we do at this age. You know what I’m talking about.
This editorial is not about the liberties we have vs. the liberties others will never be able to enjoy because of the strict Islamic law, because that would mean pitting our system of values against theirs. And I’m not sure we can say for certain one way is better than the other, not unless you take each individual’s view on the world into consideration.
This editorial is about how rebellion can sometimes take the most subtle of forms of manifesting itself, which is exactly what’s happening in Iran these days. Youths abide by the law in public but, behind closed doors, their behavior alters drastically.
Today saw the release of a set of very shocking photos by photographer Nicola Zolin for Barcroft Media, the Daily Mail informs. They’re not “shocking” in the sense you might think of at first (they’re not nude pics and they’re not showing graphic or obscene scenes), but they mark the beginning of a quiet revolution, pioneered by young people with access to the Internet and lots of money.
They are the children of the elite and they act just like Westerners when nobody’s watching. The photos show them partying with drugs and alcohol, rolling joints and getting stoned, the women showing off their (surgically enhanced or not) breasts in low-cut tops and body-hugging dresses, applying makeup, the likes.
Yes, some of these behaviors are not healthy and can lead to even more destructive patterns to boot, but it’s not something we haven’t done. Many fall under the “exceptionally stupid” category of youth-type things mentioned above.
To these people, they represent a form of rebellion, their silent protest against old and new laws they believe should be abolished or, at the very least, amended.
Women in Iran must wear their hijab in public. They must never show cleavage or leg or even the contour of their body. Alcohol and drugs are illegal, and drinking in public will land you in jail. This also happens if you hold a woman or man’s hand on the street and you’re not married to them.
Again, this is not passing judgment: this is a fact. Also a fact is that these youths captured in these shocking portraits believe these rules should not apply anymore and, thanks to their parents’ money, they can afford to live life a bit like how they see it’s like in other countries. At least at night, when they get together, they can pretend they’re the young (arguably foolish) people they think they have the right to be.
Whether you or I or John Doe down the street believe Islamic law is “wrong” or “right,” better or worse, is of no relevance here. What is important is that these youths certainly believe life could be better for them with a bit more freedom. And yes, perhaps their form of rebelling against the system is not the smartest possible, but it’s probably the only one available to them.
And they’re making ample use of it.