Sadaf Taherian is an Iranian actress, and she’s just done something amazing.
In protest of Iran’s restrictive law that deems hijabs mandatory for women, Sadaf took off her headscarf and posted photos of herself uncovered on Instagram.
Not only that – she also spoke out about the sexual harassment she was subjected to behind-the-scenes on her films.
And the public reaction has been mixed. Since removing her headscarf, the actress has received a steady stream of both praise and abuse online.
‘I was worried and nervous about how people would react to my photos,’ she told journalist Masih Alinejad. ‘I did not expect this [reaction] from the people of Iran, from my own culture – to hear so many insults.
‘I honestly cannot respond to them in the same way. I can only say I feel sorry for their reaction, and I have nothing else to say.
‘When I wore the hijab on camera I did it for the love of my career and for the demand of the film. But no one knew what was going on inside me. I was forced to appear this way because of the laws of our country. I love my career but I am forced to go in front of the camera like this.’
She described how directors would demand actresses be involved with them romantically if they wanted to be cast in films.
‘It bothered me when I was acting and the director was thinking about me in any way except acting,’ she said. ‘He was only waiting for the scene to finish so he could whisper in my ear again.’
Up until 1979, Iran was very progressive culturally and legally. However, after the Iranian Revolution strict religious laws were imposed.
Now Sadaf is said to have relocated to Dubai, and is planning to build up her career from scratch there.
‘No, I am not afraid. I’m really not afraid,’ she told Alinejad.
‘At this moment, with the freedom of thought and choice that I have, I will try to work non-stop to get to the point where those that insult me will be the ones encouraging me.’
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