Iran's fake models to make it big overseas

France24

Becoming a ‘model’ in Iran is easier that you might think. Young men and women are turning to social media in the hope of increasing their chances of breaking into the highly competitive modelling industry. They choose a fancy outfit, put on heavy make-up, some even opt for cosmetic surgery, and find a photographer willing to take their photo. They then upload the snaps onto Facebook, change their profession to ‘Model’ and, hey presto, they call themselves models. The catch is, they are not paid to pose.

The internet-based, underground industry provides a way for women to enter the more lucrative international industry by posing for shots without wearing the hijab. In Iran, it is illegal for women not to wear the hijab in advertising campaigns but on Facebook, women are free to publish photos with their skin and hair on show. The aim is to get noticed and get signed up with an agent, preferably an overseas one, to earn money and prestige.

Professional male Iranian models tend to find it easier to make money overseas than their female counterparts, because shots of men taken in Iran can be sold internationally, whereas shots of women wearing the hijab have little international appeal.

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