Interview with Iranian comic artist Marjane Satrapi

In light of all our feverish discussions of women in Iran, I wanted to bring attention to the new book Embroideries by author/comic artist Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi known for two other works that discussed the sexual revolution both in Iran and the West and her struggles within its context, takes an intimate, hilarious and graphic look at what happens behind closed doors amongst women in Iraq.
Nerve discusses in an interview with the contraversial author…
In Embroideries, Satrapi documents the ways in which strong-willed women in Iran have fought back — in secretly gleeful silence or through overt rebellion — against misogynistic traditions and piggish men. The book is also a celebration of these women’s resilience, their tough-mouthed, tender-hearted talk over tea. Satrapi spoke with me on the phone about geriatric sex, the appeal of the ass, and the promise of young women in Iran today. — Noy Thrupkaew
Some interesting tidbits from the interview:
It’s very interesting how women make use of gender segregation in Iran — which definitely can have its disadvantages — to create such a powerful and private space for themselves. It has always been like that. Even before the Islamic Republic, we were always a very traditional country. When you have such strong traditions, you have very extreme reactions. In such societies, discussion between the women is the space for freedom. These stories don’t present a complacent point of view about women, that they are all suffering, oh my god. They’re not victims. And I refuse it completely, I hate that image. Even in the worst days under the Islamic Republic, I never saw myself as a victim. We always have the choice to do something else, to make a parallel life.
This brings up a lot of different questions about the context surrounding a woman’s agency. I think this is an interesting and artistic way to paint a picture of what may actually be normative discussions of sex in Iran. Check out the interview and let me know what you think…