Cartoon 85: Preferred Red Carpet Attire for Iranian Actresses
Hardliners lashed out at the prominent Iranian actress Leila Hatami for kissing a Cannes Film Festival official on May 15, 2014, and for the clothing she wore at the Festival, where she was a member of this year’s jury. Hatami, 41, greeted the 83-year-old president of the festival, Gilles Jacob, with a handshake and kiss on the cheek. That incident and the long white dress that she wore on the red carpet, which showed part of her legs above the ankles, have enraged officials at the Guidance Ministry in Tehran.
“Iranian women, whether they are artists or not, have always been the symbol of chastity and purity. Therefore the inappropriate appearances in the Cannes Festival are not in accordance with our religious beliefs,” said the Ministry’s Parliamentary Deputy Hossein Noushabadi. This is Iranian cartoonist Touka Neyestani’s take on what the Iranian officials may deem “appropriate” for Iranian actresses traveling abroad.
