Don’t judge these folks by their ID photo

November 27-2015

Young Iranians are posting photos on Instagram to show what they really look like, in contrast to their official pictures on their state ID cards.

Two popular Instagram pages have been urging Iranians to post these photos side-by-side, and many are embracing this “KarteMeliChallenge” (“national ID card challenge”). The black-and-white, expressionless ID photos stand in stark contrast to colorful, fun, style-conscious snapshots that people say show what they are actually like.

The BBC reports that, since it started a week ago, 100 snapshots have been uploaded, despite the fact that such expressions of individuality are often viewed by the authorities as hostile, anti-state acts.

And a second page, “DontJudgeChallengeTM,” has 160 more photos—and more seem to be attracted to it, with 120,000 clicking the “follow” button.

The authority in charge of issuing identity cards and passports in Iran gives the following photo guidelines on its website:

“For men: no hats, glasses, neckties, jewelry, styled hair or sideburns…. The forehead and ears should be visible. The color of clothes should not match the background.”

“For women: a full, plain dark-colored headscarf so the round shape of the face is visible; no make-up or jewelry.”

Most of the comments on the Instagram account revolve around the appearances of those in the photos, with many being sarcastic about those who seem to have undergone cosmetic surgery.  “The challenge should have probably been dubbed as before-and-after surgery,” one commented.

“Before proposing to a girl, ask her to send you a copy of her ID card.  Then you will not need to waste too much money on flowers and sweets!” a Facebook user suggested.

The administrator of the original KarteMeliChallenge page earlier tried to lead a different campaign in which she had asked women to share photos wearing the required headscarf along with one without it, a drive resembling the British-based My Stealthy Freedom campaign, which encouraged women to post photos of themselves without a headscarf.  (My Stealthy Freedom has now passed 900,000 likes.)

However, she later decided to focus on a new idea. “It’s rare for people to be happy with their photograph on their ID card,” she told the website IranWire, “and this is what makes the campaign interesting.”

One Facebook user described the challenge as a demonstration of “the public-vs-private persona.”

”I had never imagined sharing my national ID card online,” wrote another.