Dance for Iran: How Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ is Powering Gen Z’s Campaign for Women’s Rights in Iran

Teenagers were arrested and detained for 48 hours in Iran for dancing unveiled in public.

Read that again. Slowly, if you may.

A group of five teenagers were dancing to the “Calm Down" remix by Rema and Selena Gomez without covering their hair. According to EasyGo Iran, public dancing is illegal in Iran. The dance laws are further stricter depending on an individual’s gender.

In Iran, women are not allowed to dance in the presence of men who are not part of their immediate family. Making and disseminating videos of Iranian women is also known as a crime. Although dancing appears to be considered a crime in modern Iran, it’s not clearly stated as law in its penal code. According to the Iranian constitution, committing an "indecent" act in public is a crime and it’s by this preface that dancing in public can be interpreted as an indecent act punishable by law.

Arrests have therefore been very common in the country. For these five girls, their first offence was being unveiled, the second was dancing in public, and the third was posting the video online. It’s believed that they posted the video in celebration of International Women’s Day.

Teenagers getting detained, and eventually released, for breaking the law would not have gathered so much negative global attention. The reason for the outrage is that the news of their detainment has come six months into nationwide protests angered by the death of Mahsa Amini, who was 22-years-old when she was detained by the morality police on the streets of Tehran.

The police claimed Amini flouted the Hijab rules as reason for her detention, and she subsequently died in their custody. Her death inflamed the Iranian population and led to a series of protests that have lasted ever since.

Undated picture of Mahsa Amini

The detaining of the teenagers has since added oil to fire and has caused even more outrage among the citizenry. Since their release, the detained teenagers have not been heard from.

“Calm Down” was initially released in February 2022 by afro-pop singer, performer, and Afro Gen Z heartthrob, Rema. In September, a remix with Hollywood A-lister and pop star Selena Gomez was released. The song was a viral hit with countless videos made with it and posted online. It was certified platinum in the UK and entered the top 20s of Billboard’s Hot 100. Even global athlete Christiano Ronaldo shared a video of his three kids on his Instagram story with the song in the background. 

Who would have thought that from a club hit, the song would become a political statement?

The political tension in Iran has gathered so much international attention that various feminist and women focused organisations across the globe have turned their attention to the situation. A post by @feminist on Instagram detailing the events has since gone viral. The outrage has inspired Iranian women to record and share videos of themselves dancing to the song. Feminists worldwide have also shown international support with numerous videos of them doing the same to stand in solidarity with the aggrieved.

Of course, there are those who wonder what dancing online would benefit the women of Iran in times like these. It's a question of the power of online activism. If history is anything to go by, there are two examples of how fighting for rights online led to real, offline results— the Arab Spring protests and the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria. 

Both examples are real life political calamities that led to many deaths in their respective countries, but with the help of digital platforms, the issues were disseminated and international help in form of economic, policy, and mental assistance was given to the affected countries. 

Sometimes, you just need to know that someone else out there is aware of what you’re going through and genuinely concerned. The internet allows for this.

In the early days of the Masha Amini protests, online activism was also used. On Twitter, over 1 million tweets were shared with the hashtag “#Masha_Amini”. The hashtag was specifically used for videos of Iranian women cutting their hair in protest over her death. It was the online outrage that inspired organisation demonstrations in Tehran universities.

In similar fashion as the Nigerian government upon realising the emerging power of the online #EndSARS protests, the Iranian government shut off access to social media, specifically Instagram and Twitter, to curb the global dissemination of what was happening in the country. Iranian civil rights group, Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, also used social media to share updates from the protests.

Since the virality of the #DanceForIran movement, both Rema and Selena Gomez have spoken and tweeted out in support of the Iranian women. Rema made a Twitter shoutout to women around the world fighting for their rights around the world with the Iranian flag while he quoted a tweet about the movement.

Selena shared her support on her Instagram story saying, “To these young women and all the women of Iran who continue to be courageous, demanding fundamental changes, please know your strength is inspiring.”

The digital world has now become a part of our everyday reality. Rather than a convenience, it’s a necessity for some. Videos go viral, stories spread widely, and people are inspired to action.

As the fight in Iran continues to intensify, it’s important to be aware of why it all started and the implications of our activities online. 

It may sound silly, but a simple video with a pop song background tune and a hashtag attached can erupt millions of engagements and, subsequently, summon the global attention and outrage needed to usurp the oppressor.