Persepolis Dress Code And Hypocrisy

In Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Marji regains her rebellious side when she is confronted with the sexist dress code and hypocrisy at her arts school, as well as her life outside of school. When Marji is called to an assembly, she is told that she must be modest, avoid makeup, and wear a longer veil, to which she is depicted as standing up for herself and others against this dress code, as is seen on the images from pages 296 and 297. Satrapi does an excellent job illustrating this when she draws Marji standing up in a crowd of veils, and defying all odds. By doing this, Marji establishes her sense of freedom once again and is granted the ability to make change in the system. Moreover, she is able to prove herself once again even through harsh

odds.
Likewise, the reader once again sees this hypocrisy in Marji’s life, even when she is outside of school. She again faces these circumstances and makes her voice heard. When she is late for an appointment, the reader sees her running down the street and guards following her, demanding that she is being obscene. As a response, she is drawn progressively more and more angry, until she shouts “Well then don’t look at my ass!” (301). This act of defiance against the guards was risky, since she could have been seriously punished for her actions. However, it is admirable how willing she is to stand up for what she believes in, despite the possible consequences. It is clear that Marji is passionate about her rights and freedoms, as is made evident through her responses to injustice in her oppressive culture.