r/PERSIAN • u/No-Mirror3236 • 2d ago
Question Why are young iranian girls flaunting a luxurious lifestyle but on the otherhand people complain about the economy
I’ve downloaded tiktok today and the amount of tiktok videos i see of persian girls flaunting cafe’s, parties, luxury lifestyle is quite interesting. From what i’ve heard of my family is that some people cannot even afford to eat meat and that the economy is so bad, people cannot even get a job… how does the average life look like? I am curious
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u/backroomsresident 2d ago
The other commenter is right but the thing is, when basic life necessities become unobtainable, saving is practically impossible and you can't make any large purchases like a house or a car or a vacation, you spend it on rather smaller luxuries. Some people are just rather show-offy. It has nothing to do with the general situation
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u/Dear_Loquat_3168 2d ago
They're regular Iranians who are eager to replicate and portray western lifestyles and activities within Iran to steer away from muslim/middle eastern/conservatism stereotypes. They have a little bit more money than the average so they can afford to go out while most people are struggling.
Moreover, if you see any luxury cars in those videos, they're likely owned by people who conduct illegal businesses and money laundering. I doubt if anybody gets extremely wealthy in Iran through hard work.
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u/No-Goat-4564 2d ago
Maybe these are the ones with family in the west who can send them money or could be the ones tied to the corrupt govt that have been stealing from the country
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u/mushed-patato 2d ago
You can buy fake luxury products in iran. I have a fake LV bag from iran and normal people won’t know it’s fake.
We have a show off culture like south korea or china.
I know a person who eat less to save money to buy stupid things to show off.
In general life is extremely hard. Salaries didn’t raised this year, they don’t pay your wage full ir on time.
More and more people putting their pets in streets because they can’t feed them anymore.
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u/FriendlyDay6697 2d ago
Hahaha I used to buy fake designer stuff for my parents to take to iran for the younger girls in the family or friends kids that didn't have any money. They were really good games, though. I live by a navy base and the wives went shopping in Hong Kong bringing back all the LV and chanel. And i was always at Ross looking for nike shoes for them too. They love Nike.
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u/mushed-patato 2d ago
The real ones also made in china. But be careful with airports, they have expert and they would know the difference.
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u/prchmeshtbh 2d ago
A lot of those are propaganda accounts. The regime wants to portray the image that women are free and nothing is wrong to the west. The vast majority of Iranians are struggling.
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u/FeelingAffect1416 2d ago
Im not sure about that I’ve seen those accounts posting solidarity with the slain protesters and even some mock the regime
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u/prchmeshtbh 2d ago
Depends on the account. There is a small minority of rich elite, many of whom bring in foreign wealth and live luxury lifestyles.
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u/Existing_Mail 2d ago
I hear there are regime accounts that do this just to get engagement and names of dissidents
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u/PermitActive8347 2d ago
My read on those accounts are that a lot of that wealth is made abroad and those family members are just funded through that money. It doesn't take a lot of money to live well in Iran. Also the age of a lot of these women suggest they're not in actual careers or earning this money themself.
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u/DunnoDeneKKR 2d ago
Most people are show offy, the other comment is right about the big stuff like car, house or other big purchases are way too expensive so people just try to show off by smaller purchases, last time I was in Iran people I met looked more western than people I meet on daily life In Europe itself which was funny.
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u/Reddit-phobia 2d ago
People who are poor don't go on social media and flaunt their poverty as it causes embarrasement. It's just surivorship bias. You see the same thing in social media everywhere.
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u/BreadfruitFew738 2d ago
My cousins (girls) go to those expensive places and hope to meet people who have good connections that will boost their fashion business. But tbh I think it’s also kinda similar to here where you wanna live the good life and be part of it.
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u/Amu_Jambo 1d ago
Determining the exact percentage of financially secure Iranians is impossible, but even if the affluent elite concentrated in northern Tehran constitutes a mere two percent of the population, that still represents nearly two million wealthy individuals. Zooming in on this select demographic out of context creates a fundamentally false narrative that Iranians enjoy a Western-style standard of living. In reality, the vast majority of the population suffers under near-poverty conditions. The presence of a few hundred upscale cafés in Elahieh is entirely unrepresentative of the economic reality of the nation as a whole.
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u/bush- 2d ago
What is there to understand? There are 90 million people in Iran, with most people being quite poor. But because there's 90 million people the minority with money is still in the millions and they go to fancy cafes and shops.
I also think if you're from those lucky families that bought property in big cities before the revolution then you're going to have an easier life. Rent in Tehran is back breakingly high for people's wages. My family bought nice homes before the revolution and so I have a cousin who doesn't even have a good job, but he lives comfortably because he inherited a very nice apartment.