Chapter 63 fluttering black robe

We have only been in Iran for a few days, and the ladies and young ladies in our team are already complaining. The weather here is very hot during the day, and it is really uncomfortable to wrap the headscarf tightly.Some of them are directors, who have to run around on the street to direct when filming; some are show hosts, who have to talk and laugh at the camera anytime and anywhere; Some of them also serve as managers, and they need to call people loudly, order food and pay, and call taxis. They even have to cover their hair, ears, and necks to do all of this. After running around in public places, they rushed into the jeep and took off their headscarves to breathe a sigh of relief. Immediately, they heard someone knocking on the window. When they turned their heads, they saw that the knocker was gesticulating and asking the lady to put the headscarf back on.A lady got angry, rolled down the window and said to the man in English: I am in the car, not a public place!The man also replied in English: Your car has windows, so it is still a public place!

Then wear it, the car drove to a Chinese restaurant where the owner, chef, and waiter were not Chinese. When the ladies saw the red lanterns and mahogany panes, they felt that this was the ground of China, and they could always take off their headscarves. Thinking that the moment he started, the two waiters quickly stepped forward and ordered softly that there should be no mistakes.Now the ladies got anxious and said loudly: This is a Chinese restaurant!You can't wear a headscarf while eating Chinese food! An old man with a white beard came out and shook his hand. It was considered a pardon this time. He looked like he was the boss, and he did this just to make money. The ladies immediately cheered.In fact, the meal was poor and expensive, but they were always excited about this small victory. They ate every bite with relish, exaggeratedly agitated their chewing cheeks, and rubbed their hands arrogantly Hair on the outside.

But this is only a small opportunity after all, and it must be worn honestly most of the time.How could these women bear such grievances?So he shouted depression in front of us all day long.Although we also had a little bit of secret joy, wandering around under the car window with a relaxed expression on purpose, our sympathy still prevailed, and we tried to follow them as we drove, thinking that this is a way for men to be free and unrestrained the price.All five of our jeeps are equipped with walkie-talkies, so we can talk with the whole team at any time during the drive.A woman said coldly that the dark cloud on the mountain in front of her was really beautiful, and before she finished speaking, all the men echoed in unison: "It's so beautiful, it's so beautiful!"Another woman pointed to a small tree by the roadside and said: This looks like a reed.Everyone said in unison: reeds, of course reeds!The good attitude finally made the ladies puzzled.

In fact, our ladies only wore a headscarf, and the Iranian women who got off the bus all over the street were completely wrapped in black robes, which was much stricter.For this matter, outsiders tend to have simple ideas, feel that the women here are too pitiful, and a clothing liberation is needed. The reason is that such clothing imprisons women's physical and mental freedom, covers women's physical beauty, and blocks modern society. social activities and international contacts. Although there is some truth to this idea, it is not fair from the perspective of cultural anthropology and ethnoecology.In my opinion, there is no need to establish a unified standard for the general clothing culture, except that ancient Chinese foot binding, and some local indigenous customs with obvious physical disabilities such as piercing the nose and stretching the neck should be abolished.I remember that I used to discuss the serious psychological struggle caused by the Han scholar-bureaucrats in the early and late Qing Dynasty to destroy my clothes in "The Back of a Dynasty". The liberation is much deeper.

We asked several young female students about black robes on the streets of Tehran, and their answers were: Our clothing tradition has lasted for more than a thousand years, and it is related to our religion.We didn't feel oppressed. From this, I recall that for a period of time after World War II, the Iranian and Turkish governments explicitly required people to change traditional clothing into Western-style clothing, but in the 1970s, those who actively called for the restoration of traditional clothing were mainly modern youths with higher education. .They even believe that only by wearing traditional clothes can they restore their true colors.I think the situation here is a bit like Chinese food. At one time, some people suggested that Chinese food was too complicated and wasteful, greasy and monosodium glutamate did not meet health requirements, and advocated Westernized food, but later even young people wanted to restore the taste of their grandfathers.It is a bit ridiculous for outsiders to wish to liberate others in such matters.

As for whether it has damaged the general meaning of female beauty, I don't know.Many people in our group came to a preliminary conclusion that they would never have believed before: from Athens to now, the beauty of women in all countries is Iran.The elegant figure is very naturally turned into the chic jitter of the folds of the black robe, just like the most expressive wrapping material on the ancient Greek stage, and also like the dark windbreaker in modern fashionable clothes; they do not refuse to make up, But let all the disturbing colors hide in the black robe, and only let the lips, eyes and cheeks become the only focus of perspective.This kind of demeanor is by no means as shabby as outsiders imagined.

Of course, there are also problems, that is: when we ask the world to be pluralistic and tolerant to it, it should also be tolerant to pluralism in the world, including its own people.There should be no excessive restrictions on foreign women entering the country.There should not be too much reprimand for domestic women who are legitimately trying to pursue an alternative ecology. This reminds me of the Shah Pahlavi who died in a foreign land after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Some of his westernization policies may not suit the people's sentiments, but after all, he is looking for a bridge between national traditions and international communication.

When we were in Egypt, Wang Jiyan, Guo Ying and I visited his mausoleum at the Rufayi Mosque in Cairo. His white sarcophagus was placed in a hall of green alabaster, with an Iranian flag on the side, and an open sarcophagus. The Koran.I think there should be tolerance for him, he is an integral part of Iran's history. The hall was quiet and windless, and the Iranian flag hung down forever. November 22, 1999, Tehran, overnight at Laleh Hotel