Youth's exposure to Policy Making toward Clothing in Iran

The clothing studies present considerable cues of covert social and cultural changes in every society. Particular situation of policy making on clothing and dress after Islamic revolution has made the clothing and dress an important cultural & political phenomenon. The study of clothing changes by disclosing a path for understanding readings and interpretations of everyday actors, attracts the attentions of researchers to the resistances and companions to the policy makings and in a big picture can respond to their success or defeat in a tangible level of everyday life. Starting point and goal of this research is to describe the reading of youth in this context. brought us to the conclusion that the policies enforced on the youth clothing, against the primary reading, have been effective, because the youth interviewed believed that their clothing is not a political and historical matter and the result of long standing struggles and disputes, but they believe their clothing is personal and nonpolitical: although they consider some changes in the youth clothing fashion as the result of political and social opening and freedom. The youth prefer compromise toward their families and policymakers view points on clothing.

The research method is qualitative. The qualitative approach defines the general orientation of the research. In a qualitative analysis, exploring the social world through insights of the people who are the subjects of the study is essential. The research population consisted of the youth aging 18 to 30 years old. Theoretical sampling was used for sampling and the sample of interviewees included 25 youth who were 18 to 30 years old.

The findings showed that the cultural policies enforced during the last 2 decades on the youth clothing, against the primary reading, have been effective, because the youth interviewed believed that their clothing is not a political and historical matter and the result of long standing struggles and disputes, but they believe their clothing is personal and nonpolitical: Some of the interviewees consider some changes in the clothing and dress of the youth in result of social and political freedom and some of them prefer the toleration approach while facing the family and policy makers` viewpoints to the dress and clothing matter. 

Although the interview youth consider some changes in the youth clothing fashion as the result of political and social opening and freedom, they face some quarrels and disputes over their dress, the youth prefer compromise toward their families and policymakers view points on clothing. It seems that some cultural policy makers consider the market logic to promote the local and religious clothing for the youth and the market logic implies promoting some styles and fashions by different means including social and mass media, in addition to celebrities.