provoking the ire of the Islamic Republic, which has now banned her from reentering Iran.
Farahani was in Paris participating in a project by the French director Jean-Baptiste Mondino, which involves actors and actresses disrobing to promote artistic and personal freedom.
Her topless picture in Madame Le Figaro was later followed by a video clip in which she looks into the camera and disrobes. In the still shot, she demurely cups her hands over her breasts, but not in the video.
The reaction to her actions can be neatly categorized into two. On the one hand are her supporters, who argue for personal freedom, women’s rights and artistic expression; on the other hand are her opponents, who say her actions are obscene and run counter to Islamic mores and Iranian cultural norms.
“The first thing I said when I saw the picture was, ‘Bravo, Golshifteh!’ Maryam Mirza, an Iranian journalist based in Germany, told Radio Farda.
“By posing nude, she demonstrated that her body belongs to her. We’ve been suppressed for many years – the morality police have been telling us for years how to get dressed and how to behave. But a woman came and said, ‘This is my right.’”
Reactions from Farahani’s supporters inside Iran were a little more measured.
“Women in Hollywood pose like this daily,” Amin, a 34-year-old web designer, told CNN. “Why should an Iranian be treated differently? Is it because we are Muslims? There are Muslims all over the world who are models, actresses, artists that pose like this,” said Amin, who withheld his last name for fear of being persecuted.
The conservative Fars news agency led the opposition’s charge against Golshifteh.
“The fate of an actress, who left her own country and joined Hollywood, has been nothing but immorality,” it wrote last week.
“The actress who played the role of caring and decent mothers of Iran has now auctioned off her modesty and honor in front of the Western cameras,” the stinging rebuke continued.
Farahani achieved notoriety in Iran when she appeared alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2008 movie, “Body of Lies.” She was told she could not do that without prior approval from the government.
Some ordinary Iranians, who were sympathetic to Farahani, still objected to her actions.
“You see, even among the upper-middle class and intellectuals, men tell their wives not to wear this or that because it is too revealing,” wrote an unidentified Iranian woman to Radio Farda. “Posing nude, even for artistic purposes, might be difficult to digest for society.”
Mary Apick, one of Iran’s leading film actresses before the revolution and who now lives in the United States, said Farahani’s actions would make it difficult for other artists in Iran.
“They will be scrutinized, no doubt,” she told CNN. But Apick, who won an award at the Moscow Film Festival three decades ago for her performance in an Iranian film, did have profuse praise for Farahani’s sheer courage.
“Oh, I empathize with this beautiful young actress. No one has ever done anything like this. This is truly the bravest, boldest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said after she watched the clip of Farahani disrobing.
“She can never go back to Iran. No way. No way on earth,” she added.
True enough, Farahani has revealed that the Iranian government has warned her not to return to the country.
“I was told by a Ministry of Culture official that Iran does not need any actors or artists and you may offer your artistic services somewhere else,” the media quoted her as saying.
As the controversy over her photos intensified, reports surfaced that Asghar Farhadi, who is viewed as Farahani’s mentor, might cite her case at the Oscar award ceremonies next month, where he is expected to receive an award for his film “A Separation.”