In this presentation, I will talk about the challenges and opportunities of being an Iranian woman today. I will challenge existing stereotypes and misunderstandings about Iranian women by sharing personal narratives and by recounting stories of Iranian women in power and leadership. この発表では、イラン人女性として現代を生きる上での困難と機会についてお話します。イラン人女性に対しては様々な偏見や誤解がありますが、今日は私の個人的な経験や、リーダーシップを持って力強く生きているイラン人女性たちのことをお話することで、ステレオタイプを打ち破っていきたいと思います。

1. Being an Iranian
Woman Today
Presented
Parisa
Mehran
WELL2018
by

2. What if I told you that
I was the only firefighter in my
hometown

3. If I told you that, would you believe that
I’m a woman from Iran?
SHEYMA RASHIDI
Only female
firefighter in the
city of Ahvaz, Iran.

4. What if I told that
I was the first to compete for my
country in the Winter Olympics

5. If I told you that, would you believe that
I’m a woman from Iran?
MARJAN KALHOR
First Iranian
woman to ever
compete in the
Winter Olympics.

6. What if I told that
my photographs have been published
in National Geographic, the New York
Times, Newsweek, and Time
Magazine

7. If I told you that, would you believe that
I’m a woman from Iran?
NEWSHA TAVAKOLIAN
Began her career as a
photojournalist at age
16.

8. What if I told you that
I won a gold medal in the Paralympic
Games

9. If I told you that, would you believe that
I’m a woman from Iran?
ZAHRA NEMATI
Paralyzed in an
earthquake in Iran,
she dedicated her gold
medal to “all who
prayed for her.”

10. What if I told you that
I was the first in my country to scale
an eight thousand meter peak in the
Himalayas

11. If I told you that, would you believe that
I’m a woman from Iran?
LEILA ESFANDYARI
First Iranian woman to
scale the summit of
Nanga Parbat in the
Himalayas. She died in
2011 while climbing.

12. What if I told you that
I was the first self-funded female who
went to space

13. If I told you that, would you believe that
I’m a woman from Iran?
ANOUSHEH ANSARI
First female space
tourist & first person of
Iranian descent to
travel to space

14. What if I told you that
I was the first ever woman to win the
Fields Medal
(the most prestigious award in mathematics)

15. If I told you that, would you believe that
I’m a woman from Iran?
MARYAM MIRZAKHANI
A prof of mathematics at
Stanford University
&
The first ever woman to
win the Fields Medal

17. How do I
identify myself?
Iranian
Woman
Wife
PhD student English teacher
Blogger
Activist

18. SIETAR Kansai
Panel: Young Voices from Iran
Microaggressions in a Japanese Context
by Makiko Deguchi

19. I Am More Than A Stereotype
https://beyondyourstereotypes.wordpress.com/
Facebook: @BeyondYourStereotypes
Twitter: @BydStereotypes
Instagram: beyondyourstereotypes
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#私はイラン人
#既成概念を壊そう

20. Asian-Americans share stories of racism after a New
York Times editor was told to ‘go back to China’

25. “You know, I wouldn’t even imagine to be a
woman living in your country. It’s so strict.”
Well, I lived there for 30 years, and I never wish I had
another nationality. I feel proud, and I wouldn’t imagine
myself without my Persian identity (in tears).
— A male colleague at the workplace in front of three of my students
#iamfromIran
#iamanon-nativeEnglishteacher
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017
#outchmoment

26. Women in Iran cover their bodies and faces.
How do you guys have sex?
You must have an eye fetish (while laughing).
— A male colleague at the workplace in front of my students
#iamfromIran
#iamanon-nativeEnglishteacher
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017
#outchmoment

27. “You cover your head all the time.
Do you wash your hair?”
— My student when we were reading a text about shampoo
#iamfromIran
#iamanon-nativeEnglishteacher
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017
#outchmoment

28. “Do all women cover their faces in Iran”?
No.
Iranian women have to cover their hair.
Depending on their city, religious beliefs, age, and fashion
sense, they vary wildly.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017

29. Burqa (face-covering veil) is not common in Iran.
Iranian women usually wear manteau, rousari, and/or
chador.
-Explanation:
In Iran, women are required to wear manteau (loose-fitting
clothing) and rousari (headscarf) in public.
Some women also wear chador (an open cloak, usually in black
for outdoor use and in color for indoor use). In rural areas,
colorful chadors, often with flower patterns, are also worn
outside.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017

30. Tehrani
テヘラン

31. Abyaneh
アブヤーネ村

32. Bakhtiyari
バフティアリ

33. Bakhtiyari
バフティアリ

34. Balouchi
バルチ

35. Gilani
ギラニ

36. Kurdish
コルド

37. Lori
ロリ

38. @HumansOfTehran

39. @HumansOfTehran

40. @HumansOfTehran

41. Photos Of Iran’s Street Fashion That Will Destroy
Your Stereotypes

45. Tehran Streetstyle
by Hoda Katebi

46. Tehran Streetstyle
by Hoda Katebi

48. “Iranian women are famously
assertive and opinionated.”
Anthony Bourdain
An American chef, author, and television personality
Miss Hybrid Series (2008) by Shirin Aliabadi

55. Weird

58. “I’m from Iran.”
“Oh, you are a terrorist!”
— A colleague at a conference after party
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017
#ouchmoment

59. “What is your opinion on ISIS?”
I got this question out of the blue from a labmate at my
welcome party.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017
#ouchmoment

60. “These ladies are from Iran, and they are
not terrorists.”
This is how my Iranian friend and I were introduced by a
colleague to another colleague at a conference.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017
#ouchmoment

61. Iran is “a terrorist nation”.
President Donald Trump
nation (n): a large body of *people* united by common
descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular
state or territory.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017
#outchmoment

63. Actions and Stories for
Diversity Awareness and Social Change
The SIETAR Japan 32nd Annual Conference
Living Within Diversity (LiDi) SIG
By
Parisa Mehran

64. Stories of
Change and Hope
Are You Listening?
Responding to the
Challenges of Diversity
Parisa Mehran
Gerry Yokota
January, 2018

65. Reclaiming the right of self-representation
Terrorist Series (2004) by the Iranian artist,
Khosrow Hassanzadeh questioning the
label of “terrorism” by portraying himself
and some members of his family as
“terrorists.”

66. Hassanzadeh’s family

68. Iran and Iraq are two different countries,
like China and Japan.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017

69. I’m from Iran.
I don’t necessarily speak Arabic.
I speak Persian.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017

70. Iran is not just desert.
Iran is a country of four seasons.
Yes, there is snow in Iran.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017

72. The Alborz Mountains
アルボルズ山脈

73. Iran is a country of four seasons!
イランは砂漠だけではない！
Dizin Ski Resort, Tehran
ディジンスキー場

75. Mazandaran’s Nature
マーザンダラーン州の自然

76. Rice Field
田んぼ

77. Abdalla Al Omari-Art
World Leaders as Refugees
@Abdalla.Omari.Art

79. Hands Up Project

80. The very first rejection I received in Japan was
from the Iranian community. I was directly told
that I would be hated because of my physical
appearance and I was indirectly told that I
could be a threat to their job opportunities.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017
#outchmoment

81. On the consequences of micro/macroaggressions (Part 1)
I am dealing with depression, anxiety, and
sleep difficulties.
The main physical problem is palpitations.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017
#outchmoment

82. The only community that accepted me
with open arms was the community of
social justice and peace activists.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2017

83. In response to these often-asked questions:
Do you eat pork? Do you drink alcohol?
Don’t you feel hot under your hat?
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2018

84. In response to these often-asked questions: Do you eat pork? Do you drink alcohol?
Don’t you feel hot under your hat?
*My* real challenge: #RightToTravel
I cannot obtain a passport or travel outside Iran without
the written permission of my husband.
p.s. I am fully aware of the rights I have and don’t have.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2018

85. Niloufar Ardalan, the captain of the Iranian national
football team missed the Asian Cup because her
husband refused to let travel

86. My Visa Story
https://parisamehran.wordpress.co
m/2017/09/01/denied-yet-present-
at-eurocall-2017-a-memoir/
http://visastory.ir/

89. In response to these often-asked questions: Do you eat pork? Do you drink alcohol?
Don’t you feel hot under your hat?
*My* real challenge: #RightToDivorce
My husband can divorce me whenever he wishes to do so, whereas I
have only a limited right to divorce him.
p.s. I am fully aware of the rights I have and don’t have.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2018

90. In response to these often-asked questions: Do you eat pork? Do you drink alcohol?
Don’t you feel hot under your hat?
*My* real challenge: #RightToWork
My husband has the right to prevent me from working.
p.s. I am fully aware of the rights I have and don’t have.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2018

91. In response to these often-asked questions: Do you eat pork? Do you drink alcohol?
Don’t you feel hot under your hat?
*My* real challenge: #RightToStudy
My husband has the right to prevent me from studying.
p.s. I am fully aware of the rights I have and don’t have.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2018

92. In response to these often-asked questions: Do you eat pork? Do you drink alcohol?
Don’t you feel hot under your hat?
*My* real challenge: #RightToBike
I am banned from biking in public in Iran.
p.s. I am fully aware of the rights I have and don’t have.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2018

93. @HumansOfTehran

94. In response to these often-asked questions: Do you eat pork? Do you drink alcohol? Don’t
you feel hot under your hat?
*My* real challenge: #RightToEnterStadiums
I am banned from entering stadiums to watch male athletic
events in Iran.
p.s. I am fully aware of the rights I have and don’t have.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2018

95. In response to these often-asked questions: Do you eat pork? Do you
drink alcohol? Don’t you feel hot under your hat?
*My* real challenge: #Sanctions
Sanctions have targeted my personal life and
thousands of ordinary Iranian people.
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2018

97. And this is me
A woman alone
At the threshold of a cold season
At the beginning of understanding
…
Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold
Season
Forugh Farrokhzad, Female Iranian Poet

98. Have I been “forced”?
#iamfromIran
#beyondyourstereotypes
#thisis2018

99. MERCI
It’s very common to use “Merci”
in Iran to say “Thank you”!
EVE:
Equal Voices in ELT
To speak out for equality in ELT
Join @TeflEquity
To raise awareness against
harassment & bulling in
ELT
Join @ELTtoo
To recognize both gender &
NNS/NS parity in ELT
confs & events
Join @eve_elt
@eveELT
@ParisaMehran