A Streaming Service in Iran is Removing Pictures of Female From Digital Covers

Being an Islamic Republic, they do things pretty conservatively in Iran. For instance, if a woman is out in public, she is required to wear a hajib to cover her head and neck. The strict rules on a woman’s appearance is obviously also applied to advertisements and media. Want to listen to Western pop music? The government is surprisingly tolerant about it. However, they go to great lengths to ensure that the public’s minds aren’t, like, poisoned or whatever by women looking like, you know, women. Case in point: Melovaz, a music streaming service in Iran, photoshops women out of digital album covers. Well, except for the women who vanished from the Iranian version of their album covers, of course. So without further ado, let’s take a look-see at these covers, shall we?

1.Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa

In the original: you see the attractive British vocalist Dua Lipa. Has she just finished washing her hair? It’s possible!

In the new and definitely not improved version: the folks at Melovaz got a bit lazy by simply blurring the photo while still making it super obvious what the picture depicts.

2.Ariana Grande – Imagine

In the original: This one is sort of self-explanatory…or is it? You’ve got a pair of juicy lips that are about to snack on some Chinese characters.

In the new and definitely not improved version: A dark, cloudy sky.

3.Kygo and Whitney Houston – Higher Love

In the original:You’ve got the late, great Whitney Houston with her shiny smile on the left, a pensive (thoughtful? chill?) Kygo on the right.

In the new and definitely not improved version:Kygo is still there, but Houston is with us no more. She has gone to join the angel choir in the sky. The asymmetry is a bit unnerving, isn’t it?

4.Beyoncé – Homecoming

In the original:Check out Beyoncé’s fashionable hat!

In the new and definitely not improved version:Inspired by the Beatle’s White Album? We can only assume.