In this environment, actresses became the faces of transformation. They symbolized urban sophistication, youth culture, and modern femininity. The way they dressed, spoke, and acted influenced fashion and behavior among women. For example, hairstyles, makeup, and Western-style clothing worn by stars like Forouzan and Googoosh quickly became popular trends among women in Tehran and other large cities. Yet this same visibility also sparked controversy. Traditional and religious groups saw these actresses as representatives of Western corruption and moral decline.
The tension between these two worldviews — modernism versus conservatism — became one of the defining social conflicts of pre-revolutionary. While mainstream cinema focused on entertainment and glamour, another movement began to emerge: New Wave Cinema. This artistic movement, which gained strength in the late 1960s and 1970s, emphasized realism, symbolism, and social critique. Filmmakers like Dariush Mehrjui, Masoud Kimiai, and Nasser Taqvai created films that questioned materialism, class inequality, and the moral dilemmas of modernization.
