“Human identity is our main truth, not being a woman or a man” – Nahid RezaeiA beautiful exhibition of candidness that is so often shocking in its honesty – or, rather, in the honesty of the girls with whom we spend just a measly 43 minutes with, and yet with whom we are able to build almost an entire world. These girls who will spend an entire lifetime much the same, fighting against the restraints of their society.
Like, when one of them says loudly, proudly, and with a smile on her face:
"I like female chauvinism. Just as men now rule over women, I hope the time comes when women rule over men."Or when one of them (quite aggressively) expresses her same-sex attraction, as such: *"I hate being a girl! I hate everything about being a girl. Even now, when I think about it, I feel angry. When I go to the doctor's, I ask for help to become a boy. I wanted to marry a girl who was my classmate. Fakhri Manouchehri. When my family realised, they cut my relation with this girl. That's my condition. I like it this way."
*
Each girl that graced my screen, I wondered, "Where is she now? Did her dreams come true? Did she get into college? Did she become a journalist? Did she leave Tehran? Did she build a life with another woman, like she wanted? Did she somehow find a way to go to the moon? Did she have her happy, normal life?" ... I hope so. Dear God, I hope so.
Here's some more of what our girls say:
"I wish I were a boy, a delinquent boy. I'd swindle girls just as I now swindle boys.""They should let us be ourselves, what we believe we are.""I've never asked my mother directly, but she says she wanted to be a poet.""I want an Iran where we feel safe. As a young Iranian, I've never been happy with my life. As a girl, I wanted to be a boy.""My mother wanted to go to university..." "Did she?" "No.""Now, women can't have any dreams in this society...""When a girl laughs they say she is indecent!" "Let them! What can they do?" "My mum wanted to live in a green place with birds and trees. Her only dream was to help others. She just wanted to be in a green place!" ***
Added to my
on: radical feminism list. My heart is forever with the women of Iran.
