December 20-2013

A fashion magazine has raised some eyebrows by doing a women’s fashion shoot in Tehran, the women all fully covered in accord with the rules of hejab, but also showing considerably more color and style than is normally seen—and accepted—on the streets of Tehran. Above is the picture featured at the start of the article making abundantly clear the suspicious reception. The magazine is FSHN, which is pronounced “fashion,” but which stands for Fashionable, Sexy, Haute and Naughty, not exactly words that get bruited about by the regime as acceptable. The pictures were taken by California-based photographer Afra Pourdad, whom the publisher called “courageous” for agreeing to take on the project. She took the photos in Tehran’s Tajrish Bazaar and the Manouchehri House in Kashan. The magazine said the article “aims to showcase the contradictions that exist within Iran today, with the new generation of 20-somethings pushing the boundaries that have defined for them over centuries.”