I live in Iran and I want to debunk some myths about this country

Hi! My name is Cristina, I am 25 years old and 5 years ago I met an Iranian. We fell in love and today I live in what is one of the most mysterious countries in the world: Iran. For those who live in the West, life here is full of myths. Today, I’m going to tell you what’s true and what’s a lie in this story.

Especially for readers of awesome.clubI tried to deconstruct some of the most popular myths about this country, and I took the opportunity to share some data that will open your mind to an unknown side about Iran.

After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, when the Islamic regime took over, a really strict code was introduced for women: they are prohibited from showing their legs, sleeves must be at least 3/4 and they cannot wear tight clothing. and show the bust. And most importantly, every woman must wear a veil.

But at no time have I seen a woman in a burka, the garment that completely covers her eyes and is therefore a much stricter dress code. The most religious Iranian women, usually the older ones, can be seen in chador, a black garment that hides the entire body and leaves only the face uncovered.

The veil is a code imposed by law, although not all young people in the country are religious. Jeans, sandals, high heels and fashionable clothes are not prohibited, so women are always very well dressed.🇧🇷 The veil is often used as a fashion accessory and is often worn over the head; it is not curled.

In Iran there is a ‘fashion police’. The inspectors of these irrigations stay in places where tourists usually go and catch the offenders. In these cases, tourists need to follow the rules, while locals may need to pay a fine.

Not all Iranians are happy with the country code: once the plane reaches a certain height, many women change their clothes and decide to walk without a veil. In other words, the subject does not only involve religion, but has to do with legislation and that needs to be respected. But anyway, most women dress really well.

Women live a little more freely than in other Muslim countries. The Iranian woman has the right to be whoever she wants to be. I’ve seen women police officers, translators and journalists. Iranian women can go out alone, ride a taxi, they sit at the table with men and a lot of employees in different types of establishments are women.

In addition, the head of the family is usually the woman. She is responsible for managing family expenses. Many households have a maid, so women do not have to fill the role of housewife every day of the week. They have the right to file for divorce and to drive. Iranian women are very sociable and open, talk easily to unknown men in the market, like tourists and have no problem with being photographed.

Iran’s reputation is badly tarnished mainly because of the difficult relationship with the United States and the sanctions imposed. First of all, it is better to say that in Iran there are no armed conflicts. In addition, there is an indicator called ‘Global Terrorism Index’, responsible for measuring the number of terrorist acts, victims and other problems. The first places are taken by the Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Syria. Mexico is at position 44, the United States at position 32, Russia at 33 and Germany at position 38. Iran, according to the data of this ranking, is in the 53rd place🇧🇷 Many people often confuse Iran and Iraq, which is why they are so afraid of this country.

Due to restrictions, it is not possible to find many famous brands in the country, nor food of the fast food🇧🇷 Also, Facebook and some other social networks do not work.

That depends a lot on the family. Yes, in Iran there are families that follow the laws of the Koran (the holy book) very strictly. In them, it is common for parents to forbid their children to have sex before marriage, and they choose the person their daughters will marry, so they don’t leave time for couples to get to know each other beforehand. But this happens in a minority group.

Most young Iranians don’t hide: they have boyfriends and they go hand in hand. On the other hand, it’s forbidden to kiss on the lips in front of other people, or show your feelings in public, but no one will go to jail for kissing someone else’s cheek.

To start living together, the couple needs to make a nikah (marriage) temporary: it is performed quickly and its duration may vary. In Iran, it is customary to celebrate weddings, but not everyone has the money to organize a party. Young people live together (nikah)economize and so no one looks at them with prejudice.

Couples often enter into a marriage contract, and it has a curious component: the mahrieh🇧🇷 It is nothing more than a cash gift given by the groom to the bride that she can spend as she wishes. O mahrieh it can also be given away as gold coins or even something more creative like 500,000 roses, a collection of handwritten poems and so on.

Now that some myths have been debunked, I want to tell you some peculiarities that surprised me in Iran.

Most likely Iran ranks first in nose operations. Almost one in two Iranian women has a ‘new nose’. You see women in pharmacies and even on the streets walking around with bandages on their noses which shows that this is really common. Women do not hide that they have had an operation. In fact, it’s a way for them to show that their family has the money to pay for the procedure. The funniest thing is that some just put bandages on to look rich.

And that doesn’t mean that the Iranian woman’s nose is too big, it’s just about fashion. A very strange fashion…

When it comes to street food, we don’t just find sandwiches and hot dogs; in Iran it is possible to experience a beetroot delicacy, baked potatoes and even fried beans🇧🇷 Vendors stand on the street and prepare food in hot pots.

On the other hand, people love and know how to cook very well. Iranians love to have visitors and serve a table full of local delicacies. When I first moved here, I almost always visited my husband’s friends and family. The tables were always full of dishes. Also, I always received gifts. And one more detail: here people drink tea 24 hours a day.

In Iran, as in the whole world, there are different types of houses, from the simplest to the most luxurious. But what makes an impact are the middle-class apartments, to which my in-laws belong. In wealthy neighborhoods, what is most impressive is that nothing is out of place, everything is perfect.

My sister-in-law lives in a new neighborhood. The place has a good infrastructure, playground for children, schools and shops. There are 3 malls, a lot of restaurants and parks.

The entrances to the housing centers deserve a special comment. It all depends on whether or not he is new. In the new ones, there are receptions, security and a beautiful entrance hall. Some buildings go further and have televisions and aquariums, and there’s always music in the elevators. You enter the elevator, choose the floor and immediately the lighting is changed and a song from the soundtrack of Kill BillTarantino’s film.

If there is so much beauty at the entrance of the buildings, imagine inside the apartments. The Iranian style is purely luxurious: decoration with gold, round shapes and lots of red. For Iranians the main value is family, so they always want to make their home as comfortable and welcoming as possible. All details are always very well thought out. In every apartment, even the smallest one, there is always a comfortable room with a sofa and table. This is because, as I mentioned earlier, houses are always full of guests, and apartment sizes allow for that. A property of 100 square meters is not something extreme, it is something normal.

The houses are always clean, and even with children eating all the time, it’s almost impossible to find leftover dirt.

A few times I’ve watched my mother-in-law prepare to receive guests at her house. She vacuums so it looks like the fiber is going to come apart. In the kitchen, everything is always clean, even the baseboard behind the fridge. Iranians love rugs (and Persian rugs are famous all over the world). And, of course, a rug is often the indicator of a family’s wealth. Handmade rugs cost a lot of money and even small, simple apartments have one, even if it’s from a factory.

One of the things that surprised me the most were the super different buildings. In Tehran, the capital of the country, there are a huge amount of young architects and they do amazing works. A good example is the 270-meter Tabiat pedestrian bridge (in the first photo), which was designed by a 26-year-old woman.

The granite facades and the glass and wooden facades are also a sight to behold. Of course, not everything is in good taste, but in general the ideas are very innovative and interesting.

In Iran, people often make noises with their tongues. That’s their way of saying ‘no’🇧🇷 Iranians will make noise with their tongues if they want to decline an invitation to have tea, for example. A child who doesn’t want to go to school will also make noises with his tongue. People in the markets do the same when someone tries to haggle. This is something common and is easy to get used to. When you least expect it, you will be doing the same. It is very common to see men kissing each other on the cheek.
In Iran, sex reassignment operations are permitted.🇧🇷 The government considers that operations can be carried out if they help a person to feel good (gender identity). The State partially sponsors the operations with around US$3,000 and fully controls the process, from the first consultation with a psychologist to consultations with a surgeon. The number of operations of this type in the country…