Anger is not abating in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, three days after she was arrested by vice squad for violating the dress code forcing women to cover their hair in public. Why is female hair often the center of attention?
“There is a problem in that this hair is designed as the weapon of seduction in most societies. So you have to cover what can seduce other men, regardless of the man to whom the woman is married. “, explains Christian Bromberger, hair anthropologist and specialist in Iran, interviewed in Le Point J.
Moreover, according to the specialist, hair is one of the few parts of the body that can be modified at will – dyeing it, cutting it, lengthening it – which is why it captures more attention compared to other parts. other body areas. Thus, cutting one’s hair is often a symbolic gesture.
Hair as a symbol of revolt against power, we find this among boys after the First World War. They demonstrate by having short hair their desire to reach the status of men.
“In Iran, women traditionally cut their hair when their husband dies. It signifies a break with sex and love life. In the case of Iran today, cutting off a strand of hair also becomes a symbol against the regime that imposed the veil, whereas previous regimes had on the contrary abolished it.”
What do the great monotheistic religions say about concealing hair? Beyond religious questions, why does non-standard hair twitch so much?
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Juliane Roncoroni and the Point J team