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Why I love my little black burka (CORRECTED)
While in Barcelona, I saw an exhibit that included work by Iranian photographer Shadi Ghadirian. I couldn't find images of the particular pieces online but the subject was more interesting that the execution anyway: Ghadirian discussed how the Iranian government will censor magazines from the US and Europe by physically blacking things out -- particularly, models' skin.
In women's magazines, for example, the government will black out any place where a woman's body is visible. Kind of ambitious, huh?
CORRECTION: The Marie Claire image found here is not in fact an example of censorship but rather a Photoshopped piece by Farhad Moshiri, originally published in Bidoun magazine (Winter 2005). Moshiri's work does, however, include some actual examples of censored magazines, which you can see here.
Posted by Carrie McLaren on 07/29/2005 | Permalink
Comments
Emily Jacir did a piece a few years ago based on her "memories of traveling in and out of Saudi Arabia. On the airplane from Europe to Saudi Arabia, my mother would black out with a marker all the exposed parts of female bodies in the latest Vogue magazines in order to bring them into the country."
http://www.ps1.org/cut/Gny/ejacir.html
image here:
http://www.ps1.org/cut/Gny/EJacir.jpg
Posted by: paul | Jul 29, 2005 11:05:59 AM
So theoretically, could you have Hustler and Playboy in Iran, as long as the bodies were blackened out?
Posted by: Ben | Jul 29, 2005 11:50:41 AM
I bet cajun style cooks do a roaring trade. Not that kind of blackening? Oops.
This is fascinating, especially when contrasted to the standard airbrushing of models for the opposite effect in Western marketed magazines.
Posted by: WisdomWeasel | Jul 29, 2005 1:03:01 PM
You should see the Blondie Plastic Letters album I bought when I lived in Saudi. Debbie sits on the front of a police car with a black turtleneck dress, long skirt and long sleeves. It was pretty weird.
Posted by: dabitch | Jul 31, 2005 9:08:57 AM
ha hah!
oppression is HILAR-IOUS.
Posted by: hornsofthedevil | Aug 1, 2005 1:09:33 AM
Couldn't resist but comment, I'm such a credit line junkie.
This is not a "found" spread from Marie Claire. It's a piece by Iranian artist Farhad Moshiri, who appropriates found images from censored magazines, but also makes his own. It was published in a recent issue of Bidoun, a NY-based magazine on art and culture from the middle east.
Also, for the record, women's fashion magazines are banned in Iran; censored images are more likely to be found in magazines that are sold openly -- Time, Newsweek, etc.
Posted by: mediya | Aug 1, 2005 10:43:12 AM
Thanks for your comments, mediya. I'm going to look into this and if what you say is true I'll post a correction.
Posted by: Carrie McLaren | Aug 1, 2005 1:16:39 PM
Hi evry body .
To Paul
Before revolution in 1979 we have PLayBoy, PentHouse... in our shops that published for iran. and we publish our own women's magazines with nude pictures. and also in cinema we make films with sexual scenes.you can see iranian films maked before revolution to see it.And were muslims.
But our enemys designed revolution for stop iran and destroy iran.And Mullahs (soldiers of iranian enemys)picked for that.Mullahs are very dangerous animals.
Iranian people never like this goverment and always hate it.
For example Im a muslim.I read playboy magazines I subscribed with playboy cyberclub ,playboyplus, pent house online and some other adult sites on the net for years and see Playboy TV Spice PLATINUM and...
I Said that we dont like this regim and we always want peace in all over the world
ISLAM is the religion of peace but these mullahs and other terrorists hide behind ISLAM and say(ISLAM said we do these crimes and kill people) and this is not true.
ISLAM said ((NO ONE ALLOW TO KILL ANY BODY)) ((LIVE WITH PEACE)) ((DONT LIE)).
Posted by: from iran | Aug 26, 2005 9:39:31 PM
To: From Iran,
I think you're confusing my comment (the first) with Ben's (about Playboy). Nonetheless, I posted my a correction at my blog too. Thanks Mediya for setting us straight.
Paul
Eyeteeth.org
Posted by: paul | Aug 26, 2005 11:13:41 PM
To:Paul
You are right.Sorry.But i wrote that for all.I saw your blog and find it intresting.
One more thing, you posted a correction on your blog about what?
Good Luck
Posted by: From Iran | Aug 28, 2005 10:38:16 AM
I have to say this is a copy ofthe works by Shahram Entekhabi, who started to cover women bodys in magazine at 2000 and was publiched every where,
bad copy!!!
I love the original by entekhabi
Posted by: matt shahan | Jun 11, 2007 6:18:29 AM
