PERCEPTION OF THE BEAUTY THROUGH THE CENTURY IN PERSIAN CULTURE; A CONDENSE REVIEW

Abstract

Persians are and were keen on their appearance and known to wear make-up, jewelry and
fragrance, painted their body parts with henna and chose extravagant garments along the 2,500 years
of their history. The style of the garments have always represented the class and status through the
history. In early civilizations, dress codes did not have much differences between the genders, but
later, significant deviations occurred between the garments. Considering the high rank societies, the
feeling of being distinguished was the main motivation behind the fashion trends. This can also be
projected to today’s world; if something becomes common, a quest for a new and unique one is
emerged. Response to this quest usually came through either internal or external resources depending
on the historical realizations.
In Persian land, three of remarkable turning points on women wear occurred during Abbasid
caliphate, Pahlavi period and Islamic revolution, respectively. Former and latest ones led to covering
and hiding the unique dress code of Persians culture with dull black cover, so-called Chador. On the
other hand, following the legacy of Pahlavi period, today, Iranian women express themselves with
exceptional fashion trends in which both western and historical Persian culture are melted and mixed
with reasonable weighting.