Abstract

There is very little research on Iranian women’s style preferences. Because of tensions between the U.S. and Iran, many Iranian women are portrayed as part of a large, vague bloc of Muslim women who are considered to be outside of fashion and wear shapeless black veils. In Iran, women are mandated to wear some form of hijab (clothing that covers the hair and bodily curves). Since most humans are concerned with fashion, this study focuses on fashion within a context of a mandatory dress code. The purposes of this research were to determine (1) the socioeconomic status of 15-30 year old urban Iranian women, (2) what hijab styles young urban Iranian women prefer in a public social setting, and (3) if there are correlations between these socioeconomic indicators and hijab style preferences among urban Iranian women. The results of a web-based survey showed interesting connections between income, education level and modesty in relation to clothing preferences. This pilot study’s results indicate that more research is needed in understanding Muslim women’s style preferences.