LIFE is good in Iran, if you’re young and filthy rich. That is, if the Rich Kids of Tehran Instagram account is anything to go by.
Inspired by the Rich Kids of Instagram account which showcases the glamorous lives of twenty-somethings with more money than sense, the Iranian version is packed with images of luxury cars, fashion, watches, pools and jewellery.
It’s gained more than 55,000 followers since starting on 13 September and administrators told news.com.au they wanted to show the side of Iran that doesn’t get seen on the news.
“We love all Iranians, rich and poor doesn’t mean anything to us. All people are equal, our object is to show the world the good side of Iran-Tehran which I think everybody should see before they judge us.
“We are in no now way political and we are just showing how beautiful Tehran and people from Tehran are. Especially with all the bad press in Middle East currently we want the world to see Tehran is nothing like that.”
The account features plenty of selfies of the young elite heading to parties and is littered with hashtags like #young #Iran, #style, #luxury, #life #lavish and #Persian.
One of the captions reads: “There are people who have money. Then there are people who are rich. It’s two different lifestyles.”
It makes a stark contrast to Iran’s reputation as a conservative country ruled by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has the final say on all major issues, despite elections being held every four years.
Last month a group of people arrested for filming themselves dancing to Pharrell’s Happy received 91 lashes and six months in prison, the New York Times reports.
This week President Hassan Rouhani called for more academic freedom in universities and asked young people to “express themselves” in public — although we’re not sure this is exactly what he had in mind.
