Dress Codes In Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

The autobiography Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, takes place in Iran in the 1980s after the Islamic Revolution where history, propaganda, and stringent dress codes greatly impact the protagonist, Marjane Satrapi. Marji’s country, Iran, is very rich in history and culture spanning over 2500 years. Unfortunately, Iran, formerly Persia, has not ruled itself since the defeat of the Persian king Darius to Alexander the Great of Greece. Since then, others rulers oppress and control the country. Marji describes Persian submission in three phases: First, the Arab invasion. Second, the Mongolian Invasion. And lastly, the Imperial invasion. This history of submission festers and brews revolution and dissonance in the citizens of Iran. And, once they
The regime achieves this by spreading nationalism through propaganda. While Iran fights with Iraq, the news outlets in the country always focus on the wins of Iran and the deaths of the soldiers. Marji finds that many pages in the newspaper pay homage to the soldiers, and there are funeral marches every day to honor the martyrs of the war effort. The propaganda and the war itself instill patriotism into Marji although the regime still represses her rights and freedoms. One way the government represses Marji’s liberties is through a stringent dress code. The religious leaders justify their dress codes by explaining that women's’ bodies and hair distract men. With their flawed reasoning, the government forces all woman to cover their hair and black robes to insure none of their body besides their face is shown. This greatly bothers Marji mainly because “we didn't understand why we had to,” (3). Their restriction of freedom drives Marji to rebel by breaking the dress code. Instead of the desired result, Marji rises from submission and rebels against her