Farah Pahlavi: Exiled, former Iranian Queen & Empress

Succubus!

When I was in 6th Grade (ca.1961) we studied the parts of speech.

I made a display of Shah Reza Pahlavi and Empress Farah Diba as my examples of proper nouns.

But I always thought that Soraya was treated poorly.

R2, I bet your parents had no idea you were a homosexual.

“Momma, isn’t Empress Farah just fabulous?! Look at that exquisite fabric on her gowns!!!”

Caftans, Mamma. Caftans!

Proper noun?

Nope, r3, as I'm not male! I've been entranced by all things Persian since I read about Harun al-Rashid in my Golden Book Encyclopedia from the Acme!

She still defends the brutal and corrupt dictatorship of the Shah. But tiara queens will overlook that.

R7 She's royal, silly.

That is true, R7. The Pahlavis were parvenu crooks that were put in power by the British. Reza Shah was a Western puppet who got rid of the neutral Qajar dynasty and was used to threaten the Soviet Union's southern border in the Caucasus but, as soon as he tried to wrest power from his masters, he was forced to abdicate in favour of his lazy, stupid, fatuous, arrogant and UGLY son. Not one of the Pahlavis has a drop of royal blood and if Reza Shah hadn't been able to stage a military coup in 1925, they would have continued being upstart bumpkins.

As for Farah Diba, she has a lot to answer for when it comes to the 1979 revolution in Iran, as she not only continued the pillaging and repression that characterized her husband's rule, but increased it to favour her greedy family. These wasteful and arrogant former fake monarchs have nobody to blame but themselves for their situation.

Poor Queen was exiled with the ENTIRE IRANIAN TREASURY

Is there a Go Fund Me?

[quote]She still defends the brutal and corrupt dictatorship of the Shah. But tiara queens will overlook that.

But still better than the far more brutal and insane theocratic dictatorship they have now under the mullahs. Things definitely went from bad to worse with the Iranian revolution

^ That's like saying, "Do you prefer getting your throat slit or being pushed off a 10 story building?"

Iran was being modernized by Shah Reza Pahlavi. Women weren't as they are now, without rights.

Let's not have Americans speak of government behaviors.

I always enjoyed the French "Sa Majesté Farah Pahlavi, l'impératrice en exil" which was how she was presented to me at a boring luncheon at Fouquet's. So grand and campy folie de grandeur. The Pahlavi dynasty was about as "Royal" as a set of Doulton china, periwinkle. Fawzia of Egypt was indeed royal and Soraya was an aristocrat. Sa Majesté looked right through me as she thought I was fucking her son, although I was not.

[quote]Iran was being modernized by Shah Reza Pahlavi. Women weren't as they are now, without rights.

This. Under the Shah, people had some rights, nowhere near as many as they ought to, but a hell of a lot more than they've got now. The Iranian people are living a dystopian nightmare, which if you talk to people that have managed to get out of that hell hole becomes obvious

IN 1977 at age 25 I had just arrived in NYC and found work in the Development Dept at the Asia Society, a Rockefeller Foundation organization.  My boss was thrilled because in January 1978 we were hosting a fundraiser at the Hilton for  Farah Pahlavi. Months in preparation, with all the major oil companies on the dais, the dinner proceeded.  What was anticipated as a glamorous evening, turned into a NYTimes news story the next day, due to her speech being interrupted by at least four protestors who had bought tickets to the event.  Each carried out of the ballroom by security.  In January  1979 she and the Shah fled Iran.

I included a non paywall link to  1978 NYTimes account below.

A fundraiser FOR Pahlavi? I am confused. What was the money to be earmarked for?

Don't you mean it was a fundraiser for the Asia Society HOSTED by Pahlavi? Nonprofits don't usually hold fundraisers for OTHER organizations.

R17 R 18 thanks for catching my error. The fundraiser was for the Asia Society, a non-profit organization. The Shahbanu was "being honored".... She was the drawing card to bring in cash from corporations wanting to do business in Iran, plus Kissinger, Lady BIrd Johnson, etc.

Again, thanks for correcting my mistake.