The podcast explores the erosion of women's rights in Iran following the 1979 revolution. It features the experiences of writer and activist Mehrangiz Kar and the symbolism and oppression of the hijab. The podcast also discusses the banning of women from attending soccer games in Iran.
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Quick takeaways
Symbols like the veil are used by the Iranian government to control and police women's bodies, eroding their rights and identity as full citizens.
The banning of women from the National Soccer Stadium, Azadi, signifies the oppressive control faced by women in Iran and their fight for reclaiming freedom.
Deep dives
Symbols of Oppression: The Battle for Women's Rights in Iran
In Iran, women face oppression in the form of symbols that communicate their supposed weakness and need for protection. Messages like 'Women are the pearl, the veil is the shell' or 'Women are like basil leaves; you need to protect them' permeate Iranian society. These symbols create a new reality, normalizing gender apartheid and portraying women as second-class citizens. The battle for women's rights in Iran is a battle of symbols, with the government using the veil as a tool to police and control women's bodies. The banning of women from the National Soccer Stadium, renamed Azadi, further revoked their identity as full citizens.
The Mannequins: Unveiling Oppression
One powerful symbol of oppression in post-revolution Iran was the beheading and transformation of mannequins in clothing shops. Armed officials entered shops to enforce veiling by pointing guns at the mannequins and inspecting their attire. The police demanded full coverage, removing any signs of individuality or attractiveness: they cut hair, erased makeup, removed expressions, and even wire-replaced the mannequins' breasts. The transformation of mannequins reflected the stripping away of women's freedom and the establishment of a uniform image dictated by fundamentalist ideals.
The Symbolic Importance of the Azadi Stadium
The banning of women from the National Soccer Stadium, Azadi, symbolizes the control and oppression faced by women in Iran. By denying women access to a public space named 'freedom,' the regime revoked their identity as full citizens. However, the stadium also represents a potential battlefield for reclaiming freedom. In the next episode, we will follow a group of women who make it their mission to infiltrate the stadium as part of their resistance against a dictatorship that strives to control and subjugate women.
This episode starts with two questions: If women equally led the 1979 revolution, why were their rights stripped away first? How does this happen to an emboldened part of the population? At first, the women fight back, chanting “Azadi! Azadi!” [translation: “Freedom! Freedom!”] in the streets until the clerics back down. But in a story told by legendary writer and activist Mehrangiz Kar, women’s rights erode one by one – leading us to the nationwide ban on women at stadiums. This is when Iran's national soccer stadium becomes a battleground.