For teenagers around the world, growing up is a time of self-discovery, often marked by small acts of rebellion. Choosing a new hairstyle, listening to loud music, or wearing a certain style of jeans are universal ways of figuring out who you are and declaring your independence. But what if those simple choices were illegal? What if owning a cassette tape could get you arrested? This was the reality for Marjane Satrapi, the author and main character of the graphic novel Persepolis. Growing up in Iran during the 1980s, after the Islamic Revolution, Marjane’s world was one of strict rules and harsh punishments.
In this dangerous environment, everyday objects took on powerful new meanings. A denim jacket, a pair of sneakers, and a pop song were no longer just things a teenager might like; they became symbols of defiance, freedom, and hope. Among these, the music of British pop singer Kim Wilde stands out, representing a complex and powerful form of resistance in a world that tried to silence individuality.
A World of Rules: Being a Teenager in 1980s Iran
To understand why a pop song could be so important, it is essential to understand the world Marjane lived in. The Iran of her childhood was a country going through a massive and violent transformation. The rules that governed her life were not just about culture; they were about political control, and breaking them had serious consequences.
The Aftermath of Revolution
In 1979, the Iranian Revolution overthrew the country’s king, known as the Shah. The Shah’s government was supported by Western countries like the United States and had pushed for Iran to become more modern and Westernized. Marjane’s family, the Satrapis, were part of this modern, educated class. They considered themselves “very modern and avant-garde” and believed in personal freedom and Western ideas.
However, the revolution brought a new government to power: the Islamic Republic, led by conservative religious leaders. This new regime saw Western culture as decadent, corrupt, and incompatible with Islam. They wanted to create a society based on their strict interpretation of religious law, which meant erasing the Western influences that the Shah had encouraged. For families like the Satrapis, this created a deep conflict. The very lifestyle they had embraced was now seen as an enemy of the state, turning their personal lives into a political battleground.
The Cultural Revolution and the Purge of the West
Shortly after the revolution, the new government launched what was called the Cultural Revolution (1980–1983). The goal was to “purify” Iranian society by removing all Western and non-Islamic influences. Universities were shut down for years, thousands of teachers and students were purged, and many books were banned.
The crackdown on culture was swift and total. Western pop music and movies were outlawed. Bilingual schools, which taught languages like French and English, were closed because they were seen as “symbols of capitalism”. Strict dress codes were enforced for everyone, but especially for women. It became mandatory for all women and girls to wear the veil, or hijab, in public. Public places like beaches and schools were separated by gender.
This new reality had a profound effect: it politicized every aspect of daily life. The regime’s actions created a clear line in the sand. To conform to their rules—wearing the veil correctly, avoiding Western music—was to support the Islamic Republic. To engage with Western culture in any way was to be labeled a dissident, someone who was against the government. A simple personal choice, like what jacket to wear or what music to listen to, was no longer just a matter of taste. In the eyes of the state, it was a political act of rebellion.
The Rise of the Underground
The government’s attempt to erase Western culture did not make it disappear. Instead, the harsh rules created a powerful paradox: the more the regime tried to suppress Western influence, the more desirable and potent it became as a symbol of freedom. This suppression drove culture underground, leading to the creation of a secret black market where people could find the things they were forbidden to have.
Throughout the 1980s, VCR systems became a popular way for Iranians in cities to secretly watch Western movies and television shows. Owning a VCR was illegal, and families had to hide them and never speak of them at school. People would get weekly “menus” of available movies on tape, which had to be watched and returned quickly to avoid being caught. For young people like Marjane, this underground network was the only way to get a taste of the outside world. To get her music, she had to go to a black market dealer, an experience that felt more like a dangerous drug deal than a trip to a record store. The risk and secrecy involved in getting these items transformed them. A simple cassette tape was no longer just a piece of plastic with music on it; it was a precious, hard-won treasure, a small piece of a forbidden world.
The Sound of the West: Who Was Kim Wilde?
The specific choice of Kim Wilde as a symbol in Persepolis is significant. She was not just any singer; in the early 1980s, her music and her image represented a very specific kind of youthful, Western freedom that stood in direct opposition to the world the Iranian regime was trying to build.
An 80s Pop Icon
Kim Wilde was an English pop singer who became an international star in 1981 with her debut single, “Kids in America”. The song was a massive hit, reaching number two on the UK charts and becoming a top-five hit in many other countries. It is still considered her signature song today. Throughout the 1980s, she was one of the most successful and recognizable British female artists, with a string of hit singles and a constant presence on music television. Her music, influenced by the modern sounds of new wave and synth-pop, was the soundtrack for a generation of young people in the West.
The Image of Youthful Freedom
More than just her music, Kim Wilde’s public image embodied a spirit of modern, self-determined femininity. In an industry that often manufactured its stars, she projected an image of authenticity and control. She famously created her own style, refusing to let hairdressers or stylists dictate her look and preferring to buy her clothes from charity shops. Her appearance—with her distinctive pout, heavy eyeliner, and stylishly messy blonde hair—was seen as provocative and confident.
In the West, Kim Wilde was a pop star, not a political figure. But when her image and music were smuggled into the repressive environment of 1980s Iran, she became an unintentional revolutionary. The Iranian regime defined the ideal woman through the mandatory veil, a garment meant to symbolize piety, modesty, and the removal of individual identity. Kim Wilde was the exact opposite of this ideal. She was a young woman who controlled her own image, wore makeup and fashionable clothes, and sang about the freedom of being young. For a girl like Marjane, forced to cover her hair and hide her shape, Kim Wilde was more than just a singer. She was a powerful visual and auditory symbol of an alternative way to be a young woman—one defined by personal choice, not by government rules.
A Dangerous Purchase: The “Kim Wilde” Chapter in Persepolis
The chapter in Persepolis titled “Kim Wilde” brings all of these tensions to a dramatic climax. It is in this section that Marjane’s personal desire for self-expression collides with the dangerous reality of state control, showing just how high the stakes were for a teenager trying to be herself.
Smuggled Goods and a Rebel Outfit
The chapter begins with an act of family rebellion. Marjane’s parents, returning from a trip to Turkey, smuggle posters of Kim Wilde and the heavy metal band Iron Maiden back into Iran for her. To get past the guards at the airport, they have to sew the posters into the lining of her father’s coat. This elaborate scheme shows that Marjane’s desire for Western culture is supported by her parents. They understand how important these “trivial” items are for her to feel like a normal teenager in an abnormal world.
Armed with this new connection to the West, Marjane puts together a carefully chosen outfit to go buy cassette tapes on the black market. She wears a denim jacket, Nike sneakers, and a pin of Michael Jackson—a collage of forbidden symbols. This outfit is her armor of individuality. As one scholar notes, at this moment, Marjane “literally wears the symbols of the position she has chosen for herself”. She is no longer just a child caught between two worlds; she is actively creating her own identity out of the cultural materials available to her.
The Confrontation
While walking down the street, happily listening to her new music, Marjane is stopped by two women from the Guardians of the Revolution, a morality police force tasked with enforcing the regime’s rules. The women immediately attack her for her appearance. They insult her for a strand of hair showing from her veil, her “tight” jeans, her jacket, and her shoes, calling her a “whore”.
This confrontation reveals the paranoia of the regime and its deliberate misreading of cultural symbols. The Guardians look at her Nike sneakers and call them “punk” shoes. This label does not actually fit—Nikes were part of mainstream American fashion, not the anti-establishment punk scene. But the mislabeling is a strategic choice. By lumping all Western influences under a single, negative term like “punk” or “decadent,” the regime could justify its crackdown without having to understand the culture it was suppressing. It was a way to simplify the world into two opposing sides: the pure, Islamic “us” and the corrupt, Western “them.” The Guardians threaten to take Marjane to “the Committee,” their headquarters, where she could be whipped, imprisoned, or worse. This terrifying encounter shows that for Marjane, her love of Kim Wilde was not a game; it was a life-threatening risk.
What Kim Wilde Represents: A Symbol of Defiance and Identity
So, what does Kim Wilde ultimately symbolize in Persepolis? She is not just a passing reference to 1980s pop culture. Instead, she functions as a multi-layered symbol that represents the core themes of the novel: the fight for freedom, the importance of individuality, and the universal desire to live a normal life.
The table below illustrates the stark contrast between the world the regime tried to create and the world Marjane fought to live in, a conflict in which Kim Wilde played a symbolic role.
| The Regime’s Ideology and Rules | Marjane’s Reality and Rebellion |
| Mandatory veiling to erase individuality. | Wearing Western fashion like Nike shoes and a denim jacket. |
| Banning of all Western music and media. | Buying black market tapes of Kim Wilde and Iron Maiden. |
| Strict gender segregation in public spaces. | Attending secret, illegal parties with boys and girls. |
| Forced public mourning rituals in schools. | Mocking the mourning rituals with her friends. |
| Rejection of “decadent” Western capitalism. | Smoking a cigarette to claim her adulthood and freedom. |
The Symbol of Rebellion
First and foremost, Kim Wilde is a symbol of active rebellion. In a country where her music was illegal, simply owning a cassette tape was a crime. Listening to it was a secret act of defiance against a government that wanted to control not only what people did but also what they thought and felt. Marjane’s desire for the posters and tapes is a form of resistance against the regime’s oppression. Just like the forbidden cigarette she smokes to “kiss childhood goodbye,” the Kim Wilde tape is an emblem of her fight for autonomy. It represents the freedom to choose one’s own culture, one’s own thoughts, and one’s own joy.
The Symbol of Individuality
The Iranian regime tried to enforce a strict uniformity on its people, and the most visible symbol of this was the mandatory veil. In the novel, Satrapi draws the girls in her class with their veils on, making them all look nearly identical. She even writes, “I’m sitting on the far left so you don’t see me,” showing how the veil erases personal identity and how much she wants to escape that conformity.
In this context, Western pop culture became a powerful tool for self-expression. Kim Wilde, with her unique style and confident image, symbolized the right to be different. Her music and fashion provided an alternative to the single, state-approved identity the regime was trying to impose. By embracing Kim Wilde, Marjane was fighting to build and protect her own unique identity from being swallowed by the state.
The Symbol of Connection and Normalcy
Beyond rebellion and individuality, Kim Wilde represents something deeper and more personal for Marjane: a connection to a normal life. Living through the horrors of the Iran-Iraq War and the daily oppression of the regime, Marjane’s childhood was filled with fear and violence. The novel often shows the shocking contrast between ordinary teenage life, like going to a party, and the constant threat of bombings or executions.
Kim Wilde’s music offered an escape. It was a link to a wider, global youth culture where the biggest concerns were about love, dancing, and having fun—not about war and survival. Her song “Kids in America” was an anthem for this imagined community of “normal” teenagers. This symbolism is more nuanced than a simple “East vs. West” conflict. Marjane is not trying to reject her Iranian identity; she is trying to participate in the universal experience of being a teenager, an experience the regime has forbidden by labeling it as “Western corruption”. In interviews, Satrapi has emphasized this point, stating that her story is a human one, meant to show that people are the same everywhere, regardless of where they are born. Kim Wilde, therefore, symbolizes Marjane’s desire to join this transnational tribe of teenagers. The tragedy of her story is that in her world, this universal rite of passage was considered a traitorous act.
The Power of a Cassette Tape
In the oppressive world of Persepolis, ordinary objects are filled with extraordinary meaning. A veil is not just a piece of cloth; it is a symbol of oppression and conformity. A cigarette is not just tobacco; it is a declaration of maturity. And a cassette tape is not just music; it is a weapon of cultural defiance and a passport to a world of freedom.
Kim Wilde, the 1980s British pop singer, becomes a powerful and enduring symbol of the resilience of the human spirit. For Marjane Satrapi, her music represents the refusal to be silenced, the fight to carve out a personal identity against the crushing weight of the state, and the simple, profound desire of a young girl to be a teenager in a world that tried to steal her youth. As Satrapi’s work continues to show, the most powerful revolutions often begin not with armies and weapons, but with small, personal acts of defiance—like turning up the volume on a forbidden song.