A Study of Fashion and Preening Components in Etellat-e-Banovan )Women's Information( Magazine (1957-1961)

One of the plans of the Second Pahlavi Government was trying to create a cultural modernization based on Western patterns. One of the measures taken during this process was to change women’s lifestyles, especially their clothing and preening patterns. To this end, the ideological apparatuses of the Pahlavi government promoted new patterns of preening and fashion among various classes of the society. In the meantime, the media, especially the press, had a special role to play in promoting the models. One of the women's magazines in the 1950s that was active for weekly providing government-friendly templates was Etellat-e-Banovan (Women's Information). The purpose of this article was to study the components of this journal and the way of promoting its fashion and preening patterns from 1957 to 1961 by using a descriptive-analytical method. The findings showed that this magazine placed a special value on Western-style clothing and preening which was in line with the cultural policies of the Pahlavi government, especially in the area of women's clothing and preening patterns. However, although being aware of the consequences of this change of lifestyle and Iranian women’s modernization in the face of ethical and social crises, the magazine sought to familiarize Iranian women with Western-style self-realization and clothing, deeming it to be the correct and real concept of fashion and preening. They made women segregate from such principles as simplicity, modesty, dignity, chastity, and moderation.