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As the world waited for the presenters of the 2018 FIFA World Cup draw to take the stage, one nation in particular was waiting for Maria Komandnaya, the female co-presenter of the program; and when she gracefully entered the stage with a modest, professional dress, the entire nation of Iran took a sigh of relief. Within minutes, her Instagram account was flooded with thousands of comments of love, appreciation, and gratitude. But in order to understand why, some context is needed.

Four years earlier at the previous world cup draw, the female co-presenter, Fernanda Lima, had worn a low-cut revealing dress causing a serious headache for Iranian broadcasters. In Iran’s modest Islamic perspective, female sexuality is a sacred matter which should best be celebrated privately. Hence, as Iranian authorities saw it, broadcasting images of such a low neckline was unacceptable, and left them with no choice but to pull the plug. Understandably, taking the live event off the air frustrated millions of Iranians who were eager to see who their national team would have to face. As reported by The Guardian, the Iranian TV presenter explained: “To be honest with you, the dress of the lady who presents the show does not meet our broadcasting guidelines at all”.

Fast forward 4 years to the 2018 group stage draw. Worried that an immodest dress would once again ruin the evening, there was a lot of chatter on social media. What dress would the presenter wear this year? Would she keep it professional and decent, or like last year’s presenter, be completely oblivious and insensitive towards her Muslim audience? But this year, Iranians had decided to take things into their own hands and leave less to fate. In the days leading up to the event, they had told Ms. Komandnaya and the organizing committee their concerns in any way they could. Most notably, Iran’s star striker Sardar Azmoun who plays for a Russian club and has a working relationship with Maria, had relayed the message.

So as Maria appeared on the stage in her modest dress, the pious Iranians rejoiced. This year, the entire event would be broadcast live, without any hiccups or hindrances. Iranian Instagram users immediately flocked to her page to tell her how happy and grateful they were. Most comments were short and sweet, while others had more substance. One particularly vivid comment read: “Dear Maria, your modest dress tonight was very much appreciated. We understand that you had a choice to make, and courageously chose humility over lust. We salute you for this choice. Let it be known that the nation of Iran is not afraid to stand up for what is right, and in a world full of carnality, proudly raises its voice against those who insist on sexualizing and objectifying women through the normalization of revealing dresses.”

After the event, as if to show that the choice of dress was not coincidental and was indeed deliberate, Ms. Komandnaya cheekily tweeted: “Iran, are you happy?”