Rebellious Teenagers Of Iran

 

Six teenagers are pictured drinking shots of vodka at a house party - another is photographed smoking a marijuana joint in a city park.


There would be little out of the ordinary about this set of photographs, except that they were taken in the cities of Iran - a country run by a strict Islamic government.

The images reveal how some of the country's teenagers really live, hidden from the disapproving eye of the country's hardline regime.

They are seen partying, blowing their wages on plastic surgery... and rolling marijuana joints from pictures of the Ayatollah.

Behind closed doors, teenage children of the country's elite - who live and study in cities such as Tehran, Shiraz, Esfahan, Busher, Kerman and Ahwaz - are behaving in ways that, until recently, were considered un-Islamic.

Young people meet each other in the hidden corners of city parks, throw parties in the privacy of their homes and find ways to travel out of the city centre - moving out from the government's oppressive reach.

Some girls wear make-up. They push their veils farther and farther back on their heads showing some of their hair, which conservative Muslims consider risqué. 

Unmarried couples hold hands in public. Teenagers listen openly to Western pop music.

The changes are subtle, in a country where Iranian men and women still must abide by a strict Islamic code. 

Women must wear the familiar, frumpy chador, a black flowing robe which translates into English as 'tent' - though when they are at private gatherings, as some of these images show, they dress in revealing western-style clothes.

At these secret meetings girls dress freely, alcoholic drinks are poured and drugs - which are becoming increasingly common in the country - are shared.

And, while men are still officially prohibited from accompanying women other than their wives and female relatives, the photos show groups of young male and female friends mixing freely.

Facing family pressure at home and government punishment on the streets, young Iranians turn to the internet to escape. 

It is while they are online that they are exposed to - and virtually explore - a more progressive global culture. 

Plastic surgery in Iran is popular among young men and young women, despite the fact that every operation costs around five or six times more than the average monthly salary.