Almost two months after 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini lost her life, Generation Z artists and activists have birthed a social media revolution.
This movement makes space for feminist voices and creative political freedom. But before this revolution took hold, the media highlighted various angles of the situation in Iran, where Amini died in the nation’s capital on September 16, after being detained by “morality police.” Coming out of October, which is both Islamophobia Awareness Month in Canada and a time for wearing costumes across much of the world, reflection and processing are necessary.
Two people with close ties to both Iranian politics and the performing arts have used their voices to spread awareness. As daughters of the revolution of 1979, they share their experiences of being on the ground in Canada while supporting their home country, Iran. The first voice is an Iranian actress and multidisciplinary artist Ghazal Partou. The second voice is a Gen Z masters student and Iranian activist whom rabble.ca agreed on anonymity in an effort to keep their family safe. They’re referred to as Lucy.
There have been many reactions, including mainstream media editorials in response to the extremely tragic, unjust, and now highly politicized death of Amini. The death of the Kurd woman whose life was taken at the hands of authorities has called upon world newsrooms, including the Toronto Star, to comment.
“Even more problematic was that in a piece about the liberation of Iranian women, the writer expressed his personal discomfort with how some Canadian women dress. Likening burqas to ‘Halloween costumes,’ the column ridiculed these women’s appearance against the Star’s policies,” Toronto Star reporter Maria Iqbal wrote on October 4 in response to a colleague’s column on how Hollywood fears being branded as Islamophobic.
If Iranian actresses are able to enter Hollywood, the film industry often pigeonholes them into “the role of a terrorist or someone in that kind of area,” according to Partou, a multidisciplinary artist living in Tkaronto/Toronto.
Just one example of how the world tends to represent Iranians, these casting decisions are common knowledge among Partou and her colleagues. Partou then agreed with Iqbal, claiming it was shocking to read about comparing these articles of clothing. “I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t make sense to me. Why you were comparing some kind of outfit to a Halloween costume,” said Partou.
Though, more pressing than Hollywood’s lack of proper Iranian representation and quarrels amongst Toronto Star employees is the current moment, which is far beyond this. The stakes are much higher.
“Now, it’s the first time after the revolution that finally the media, the people of the world, they understand that we are not the Islamic Republic; we are Iran,” Partou said.
Differentiating the people of Iran from the regime is integral to understanding why Amini was the catalyst for recent social media momentum.
Self expression brings social change
While mainstream media often overloads the public, the world may look to both the younger generation, and the role of the artist.
“I don’t want to give you the answer. I just want to challenge my audience,” said Partou.
Art is a reflection of life and of what could be. Up until now, social media platforms have not been used so significantly by Iranian protesters and activists. It’s become a form of self-expression, and a tool for education, with one purpose—political reform.
In a culture that many scholars have labelled “post-truth” and with Gen Z now carrying the burden of media misinformation, Partou believes it’s important to not lose sight of what matters—freedom.
“When women are free, the whole society is going to be free. When women are free, the world is free,” said Partou.
While Partou’s home country sits in a precarious place of political unrest, she uses Instagram to spread her message.
“I want to say I wish that people of the world have each other’s back because that one per cent at the top of the pyramid of power assumes all of us are like puppets,” Partou added. “So let’s change those patterns. That poker face of politics—let’s f*** it.”
The public can “f*** the poker face of politics” in many ways, one of which is analyzing it from the inside out—an approach taken by the anonymous Gen Z masters student at Brock University in St. Catharines, ON.
Their research dissects the ways in which politicians perform. By flipping the so-called truth on its head, it is also possible to see politicians as puppets, with their control coming from behind-the-scenes forces.
“I work on the theatrical aspects of political leaders,” said Lucy, who emigrated from Iran to Ontario a year ago and has since organized rallies and protests on campus.
Their work also explores the performative elements of reporters and news media plus how politicians are simply vehicles to manipulate.
“A part of my research is how it’s being shown on TV and in news media. My argument is that there is a theatricality to all of the actions that are being presented on TV,” she said, adding politicians act as “the face of the many decisions that are being made. It’s like they are the body for those politics,” she concluded.
Performing arts & the truth
The words performer and actor encapsulate some kind of responsibility for truth.
In a 2003 essay collection on art and theatre, U.S. director Anne Bogart explored how we “create truths by describing, or by re-describing, our beliefs and observations.”
“Our task, and the task of every artist and scientist, is to re-describe our inherited assumptions and invented fictions in order to create new paradigms for the future,” she wrote in A Director Prepares: Seven Essays on Art and Theatre.
When politicians perform, the word truth loses its meaning, implying they are participating in some kind of rhetorical monkey dance and word-splatter brouhaha. Ultimately, this post-truth culture fills the space with confusing information, creating further distrust in authorities. This is, in part, precisely what Iranians are dealing with right now, making it difficult to see what the regime is fighting for, aside from control.
“If you choose to wear the hijab, you are a part of the problem. If you don’t wear it, you are a part of the problem,” Lucy said. “To me, it comes down to feminism, Islam and police brutality. Now people are becoming aware of the choice they can have, which is a verse in the Quran—that they can choose. The fact that the government doesn’t let them choose is against the verse. It’s not even about religion to me but how you feel in your body. Forcing women from the age of seven to wear a hijab is brutal.”
Gen Z is risking their lives to have their voices heard. Though, it comes at a cost.
“The hope is written in blood,” said Lucy. “People are watching protesters in the streets of Iran while they’re being shot. It’s very impressive to me to see how brave people are to go fight and shout, knowing that they might die.”
If choice partners with self-expression – and it is all the world has – then it is no wonder people everywhere are utilizing it. In this case, the role of social media and its voices became the artistic medium.
By stripping the space of one reporter’s commentary to another, by clearing the mind of falsities inside political systems, a new path can be carved for the next generation.
In feminist thought, which is at its core a political theory, people can unpack and possibly overcome patriarchal barriers. This path is not achieved or learned through educational ideology; it is taught, learned, and accomplished through culture. In the current moment, social media’s placement in self-expression is teaching the public about the current social situation in Iran. Content and protests are inspiring people.
“Being in rallies and organizing one felt like I can be a part of the movement, experience my feelings, and have an outlet for my anger and grief. These gatherings can be a way to look at that place from the outside, and see what we can do to change things in Iran as a community,” said Lucy of their experience at protests outside of Iran.
To second these sentiments, Partou concluded her interview with “Iran is one of the most modern, forwarded-headed feminist revolutions of human history. It is not about a hijab, it is about human freedom.”
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