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The previous post on Jodi Bieber's portrait of Aisha Bibi might make you think that all women in the Middle East are oppressed. However these portraits from artist Shirin Aliabadi and her project on modern and outgoing fashion girls in Iran dubbed Miss Hybrid will make you think otherwise.

The Miss Hybrid series was done in 2007 and is a continuation of Ms. Aliabadi's work on exploring the different cultural expressions of freedom in restrictive regimes, especially in Iran.

These ladies sport a fashion that is different from the usually modest and often subdued attire of Middle Eastern women as portrayed by the media. Here the fashion and accessories are obviously western-inspired, colorfully vivid, and explicitly defiant, a combination that makes the whole get-up look somewhat ridiculous.

The emphasis of this particular fashion trend is placed on the bright blond dyed hair, colorful contact lenses and the odd looking nose tape which has become a must have piece of fashion.

A lot of the modern Iranian art often found their inspiration from the traditional art, something that was becoming all too common, according to Ms. Aliabadi. Instead of adding to this already saturated catalog of works, her photographs look towards a modern Iran with its vibrant and defiant youth.

These young women became the Miss Hybrids of Ms. Aliabadi's project, so called for the mixture of Iranian and Western lifestyles. These girls keep their veils but transform it from a shroud of modesty into an accessory of openness.

The fashion these girls choose to wear isn't necessarily for aesthetic reasons, but rather a statement about their beliefs. Indeed, this isn't just fashion for beauty, but fashion in defiance. They don't hide their individuality behind their hijab, instead, they flaunt it and show to the world their joie de vivre. And that is what makes these girls beautiful.

Indeed, this work is a natural continuation of her previous project entitled Freedom is Boring, Censorship is Fun, a title that would aptly fit this series.

You can find out more about Shirin Aliabadi and her Miss Hybrid Series here or here. If you happen to find more images of these Iranian girls dressed in the same fashion, leave a comment below and they will be included in this post.