Biography

I was born and raised in Bethesda, MD, with an Iranian Father and an English Mother (who are both US citizens). I have never been to Iran, but I still am very connected to Iranian culture through my family and friends.

There are many things I find beautiful about Iranian culture, the long history behind it, the resilience of the people, the family values, and not to mention the food. Growing up, I heard many mixed messages regarding being Iranian and middle eastern. I overheard peers in my school talking about terrorists and generalizing people from the middle east and the news broadcasting stereotypes. I became confused about what my identity meant to others. Luckily, I have always had a strong family support system to help me see the beauty in my identity. I created these glasses to represent how different a culture may look to you, depending on the lens you're observing it through. The right lens represents the lens through which I see Iranian culture, consisting of my personal experiences and stories my Dad tells me about Iran.

However, for 44 years, since the revolution, most people have seen Iran through the lens of the media, with little understanding of the difference between the government and the people of Iran. This is represented in the left lens. Since the recent uprising, the news has shifted from stereotypes about Middle Eastern people to the resilience of Iranians and the courage that Iranian women particularly have displayed. It’s exciting to see people from all cultures gather together to help protest for the Iranian people, and I hope that eventually, people will see Iran as a full picture through both lenses.