Observers based abroad, watching Iranian society from a distance, might view the country through the cold lens of economic and financial indicators: galloping inflation, the relentless devaluation of the rial, and the steady erosion of people’s purchasing power. From such a vantage point, the conclusion can seem almost inevitable: Iranians are living under unbearable pressure, with society pushed to the brink of a collective mental breakdown.
But does the reality on the streets correspond to this picture?
Shopping centres are sluggish, but affluent people can still meet their needs - provided they can afford price increases of 300 per cent or more for discretionary goods such as dresses and shoes, as well as services such as hairdressing and hair colouring.
At Qaem Shopping Centre, on the third floor, the food court is flanked by painting workshops, where young and old sit around tables, painting and distracting themselves from their daily ordeals.
But how does the educated middle class make its daily ordeal bearable?
