The inhabitants of Europe, who first appeared in Iran, besides the abundance of antiquities, are amazed by the number of amazingly beautiful people. Most of all, this feature of the Iranian appearance is noticeable on the streets of large cities: it seems that every third resident of Tehran can become an icon of style without preparation.
Let’s try to figure out what factors the inhabitants of this eastern country owe their appearance to and why even red-haired or blond people can be found on the ancient streets.
A bit about the history of Persia
We can judge the appearance of the population of the ancient Persian empires by the preserved image and wall frescoes. It can be seen that these are beautiful people with proud posture and smooth movements.
Well-preserved colored tiles adorning the walls of the palace of the Persian king Darius I (about the VI century BC), excavated by archaeologists in the city of Susa. They depict elite warriors from the personal guard of the king. Most characters have curly hair, dark skin, and beards curled in the fashion of those times. Although one dense warrior with traditionally dark skin has unexpectedly blue eyes.
And on the huge mosaic created more than three centuries later, found in Pompeii, the image of King Darius III is slightly different. The Roman master portrayed the famous Persian with lighter skin, but with dark eyes and hair. This mosaic depicted the battle of Alexander the Great with Darius III in 333 BC.
These features of the appearance of the Iranians are visible from ancient times and are clearly visible in the guise of modern residents of the country.
Average age of residents
Despite the country's long history, today more than 70% of the population is under thirty years old. This is especially noticeable in cities where young people flock in search of a good education and decent work.
Such a noticeable jump in population occurred due to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the introduction of a ban on contraception. Therefore, the appearance of the representatives of the Iranian people is strongly influenced by the age of the population and the desire of young people to stand out and assert themselves.
In the province, where there are more middle-aged and older people, a conservative attitude to appearance, manners and behavior has been preserved. But the inhabitants of megacities are increasingly influenced by information coming through the Internet from Western countries.
Innate nobility
Most foreigners visiting the country are struck by another feature of the Iranians - the amazing dignity and good manners of the locals. Of course, these qualities also affect the appearance, giving people the charm of confidence. It is not customary to impose services here, but local residents will always kindly help a bewildered tourist.
Most Iranians are quite educated and erudite, they travel a lot. And not only in their own country, where there are not very many places for a pleasant stay. Representatives of the middle class visit other countries at least once a year, keenly interested in art and cultural attractions.
Unusual behavior of young people is striking: in a country where alcohol is under the strictest ban, adolescents and youths are distinguished by calm and goodwill.
Proper facial features
Unlike conservative Muslim countries, where marriages between close relatives are not uncommon, the Iranian gene pool is much more diverse. This was one of the reasons that many residents have the right facial features. Sometimes it’s not just right - the faces of some representatives of the Iranian people are ideally beautiful. Not for nothing that the Iranians are considered one of the most attractive nations in the world.
Despite the fact that they have a southern, dark-skinned type of appearance, Iranians often surprise with fairly fair skin. And in the north of the country you can meet beautiful Iranians with blond hair and blue or green eyes. By the way, it is the green color of the eyes that is considered by young people to be very attractive, therefore many girls (and boys too) wear colored contact lenses.
Gaze of sparkling eyes
Most of the inhabitants of this eastern country belong to the Indo-Iranian race. Its representatives are characterized by a dark color of eyes and hair, rather delicate facial features and a straight or convex shape of the nose.
On many faces of Iranians, eyes stand out: large, alluring, with a hidden sparkle inside. Not without reason Persian poets compared the look of girls with the soft eyes of gazelles. Thanks to the art of makeup, which has always been owned by oriental beauties, and the innate coquetry of the girl attract attention, despite the modesty of clothing.
Facial and body care is very popular among Iranian women. Probably, these are echoes of life in harems, when the beauties invented new cosmetics to keep her husband's attention.
For the first time, an Iranian girl from a wealthy family visits a beauty salon at the age of four. And from this time on, the rituals of self-care become mandatory for her, which has a good effect on her appearance and self-confidence.
Love of beautiful things
Most of the young Iranian men are pathological mods, they carefully monitor their appearance and all the latest fashion. On the streets of the city there are many men with fashionable elongated hairstyles and well-groomed facial hair.
We can say that the Iranians love for expensive branded things knows no bounds! They are not only well versed in fashion trends, but are also able at one glance to determine the cost and quality of the interlocutor’s clothes. They are not even embarrassed by Sharia laws prohibiting the wearing of bare feet and short-sleeved T-shirts.
In addition, the Iranians are very fond of all kinds of jewelry, especially rings, the number of which on the hands of men can be a little shocking.
Arriving tourists are a little surprised by this motley “vanity fair”: men look more vividly against the background of modestly dressed women, as required by religion.
Girls on the streets of Iran
The traditional Iranian clothes for leaving the house are either a hijab that covers the entire female figure, or a light veil that hides the woman from head to toe. Only the face, hands and ankles can remain uncovered. Reaching the age of nine, all girls should dress like this. This is due not only to religious requirements, but also to the moral and ethical standards of the country; society simply does not accept an Iranian girl dressed differently.
Ideally, the clothes should be black, but modern girls are trying to at least slightly circumvent the ban, adding bright nuances to black tones. So, at work, a girl can wear a colored head scarf and notable accessories instead of a veil.
By the way, even tourists from European countries on the territory of Iran (and other Muslim states) need to cover their heads and wear modest things in dark colors that do not emphasize the figure.
Double standards
However, in their love of fashionable clothes, Iranian girls are not far behind the guys. Often, a modest dark robe hides a bright, stylish T-shirt or a provocative dress from the latest collection of a fashion designer. As elsewhere in the world, girls here like tight jeans and skirts well above the knee, and the size of a collection of high-heeled shoes will confuse any Italian fashionista.
Before the Islamic revolution of the last century, the life of women in secular then Iran was no different from European or American style. In the late seventies, everything changed: instead of dresses, trendy flared jeans and movie theaters, strict moral standards and a Muslim veil appeared.
Therefore, girls and women in Iran have to live by double standards: to hide beauty, grace and rebellious stylish clothes under modest robes.
Conspicuous makeup
Islamic women consider bright shades of cosmetics to be another way to stand out in a black crowd. Unlike Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other countries with strict Sharia norms, Iranian girls can go to a cafe (in the female half), get an education and even drive a car. And to appear in public, everyone tries to maximize their beauty with visible makeup.
Bright shades of lipstick are very popular among urban youth, and girls deliberately paint lips outside their contour, significantly increasing the volume. Strong eyebrow correction is also very popular: for some reason, Iranians do not like natural black eyebrows. Girls prefer to achieve the effect of perfectly even, straight eyebrows of a light shade: to pluck their own to the last hair and in their place make a henna tattoo.
And yes, such changes in appearance really attract the attention of the opposite sex. Although a dozen years ago, the girl could be seriously punished for using cosmetics.
Infinite perfection
In recent years, the desire of Iranians to improve their appearance has become simply catastrophic: it is considered normal for a girl to do several operations to improve her face and body before marriage. And then many do not stop, turning the desire to look good in mania.
Plastic surgery services are available here, not without reason Tehran has been considered the world capital of rhinoplasty for several years. And surprisingly beautiful people with unusual appearance for Iranians appear on the streets of the city: even chiseled noses, full bright lips and mysterious smiles of beautiful women.
Men are not far behind: the most popular plastic surgery in Iran is a change in the shape of the nose. You can spare money for education or rest, but to "make" a perfect nose for yourself is a must!
Stars of Iranian Origin
In the state itself, there is practically no opportunity to publicly declare to yourself - this does not comply with moral standards. This is especially true for women who are forced to hide their beauty in the streets, and without unaccompanied people cannot appear in many public places.
Therefore, the modern world knows about talents and amazing Iranian appearance thanks to the wave of emigrants who massively left the country after the Islamic Revolution. It was in their midst that actresses and models recognized as some of the most beautiful women in the world grew and became popular:
- Claudia Links was only three years old when her family moved from Tehran to Norway. The girl started acting in commercials early and was even recognized as "the most charming child in Europe." The girl continued her successful career, starred in several films and even tried herself as a singer. At home, they are very proud of her and even turn a blind eye to immodest pictures of the star.
- The amazing eyes of Iranian model Mahlagm Jaberi helped her in a successful modeling career. Many photographers believe that all the mystery and grace of eastern women is embodied in it.
- The popular Iranian theater and film actress Golshifte Farahani first appeared on stage at the age of six. Since then, she starred in more than 15 films and has become a recognized star not only in Iran, but also in the world cinema industry.
It is impossible to make a universal description of the appearance of the Iranians - there are too many features and habits of these people. In addition, the lifestyle in the province, where patriarchal customs are respected, is very different in dynamic megacities, which is why Iranians do not look the same.