Those photos are of Shah-era Iran, when the West was propping up (including providing weapons, training and funding to) an unpopular authoritarian that had been installed by the UK and US when the previous democratically-elected government dared to attempt to nationalise the oil industry, which was owned by BP. Under the Shah, traditional Islamic dress was outlawed, which is why everyone’s in 1970s clothes. If you disagreed with the Shah, the secret police would take you away and kill you.
Eventually, a coalition of leftists and religious leaders overthrew the Shah. The religious faction then assassinated all the prominent leftists and switched the secular authoritarian dictatorship for a theocratic authoritarian dictatorship. Under the Ayatollah, traditional Islamic dress was mandatory, which is why women in contemporary photos from Iran always have some kind of headscarf unless it’s in a news report about a protest that someone got executed for. If you disagree with the Ayatollah, the Revolutionary Guard will take you away and kill you.
So Iran’s had laws forcing women to wear only the clothes approved by a dictator both with and without help from the West.
Call_Me_Maple@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Wow, I’ve never seen this before. I don’t mean this in a derogatory way or anything, but they look like people.
Mossheart@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
They still are, they’re just people that are repressed by a theocracy now.
Call_Me_Maple@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Yeah, I know I just mean to say that nowadays they’ve had all of their humanity stripped away, they look more like machines than they do people.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I get what you’re saying, but remember they’re still fighting. Feminist protests break out every few years there.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 months ago
It’s why iran has so many educated women and is weirdly technologically powerful for a theocratic regime. Iran in the 70s was modern. Inshallah the people of iran will be freed from the tyranny of theocracy.
But yeah, iran is what should scare you the most because their collapse was fast and unexpected.