A Nation of Nose Jobs
This is what the Chicago Tribune has to say about Iran, one of the strictest Islamic countries in the Middle East. According to the Tribune report:
Black-shrouded matrons are still the backbone of Iranian society. But being young, urban and Iranian these days means tinkering with the look of and some less-than-spiritual ideals within the Islamic Republic.
Iranians, in increasing numbers and at surprisingly young ages, are altering flesh in the pursuit of beauty.
"It's very common in our society," said Zahra Kalantar, an 18-year-old swathed in heavy black robes and a face full of gauze whose father paid $1,200 to make her nose new. "I really didn't want to have a nose job, but there was a lot of pressure. My classmates made fun of my nose. So did my cousins. ... My nose was big and wide. And here, appearances matter."
Rhinoplasty in Iran, says the report, is a pretty common thing there. In effect, it also makes one wonder if Iran is really as strictly Islamic as it shows the world to be. According to Islamonline.com, cosmetic surgery is only for correcting congenital defects such as a cleft palate, or flaws like burns, or those that result from accidents or sickness.
In a country that declares itself as a strictly Islamic republic, Iran’s younger generation sure has a thing for makeovers.

