In the 2004 bestselling graphic novel Persepolis, 10-year-old Marji comes of age embracing punk rock and counterculture ideologies as she explores her identity in post-1979 Iran.

Key points: Heavy metal and skateboarding are among Iran's many Western imports

Heavy metal and skateboarding are among Iran's many Western imports Yet rap musicians still face bans on performing in public

Yet rap musicians still face bans on performing in public Many of Iran's youth are politically indifferent to US-Iranian tensions

The autobiography by Iranian-French writer Marjane Satrapi — adapted into an award-winning animated film in 2007 — gave the world an insight into American-influenced teenage angst and religious rebellion under Iran's new Islamic regime.

"I learned that you should always shout louder than your aggressor," the young protagonist discovers in the book.

More than 40 years after the 1979 revolution, which saw a breakdown in US-Iranian relations, the leaders of the two ideologically opposed nations continue to spar over nuclear weapons and sanctions, as widespread protests continue to break out on Iran's streets.

Yet nearly two decades since the release of Persepolis — which faced attempted bans in both Iran and the US — Iran's cities and culture continue to be shaped by Western ideas and thought, with many young Iranians bucking binary politics to embrace activities and artforms like skateboarding, hip hop and heavy metal music.

'Not very political': A shredding of cultural norms

In the graphic novel Persepolis, punk rock a symbol of resistance to the Iranian state. ( Supplied: Persepolis )

In the heart of the ancient city of Tehran, just a stone's throw away from the grandiose blue and gold dome mosques, a new generation of female skateboarders draped in cultural dress and loosely worn hijabs have been gliding between scooters and mini-vans.

For 17-year-old Dorsa, skateboarding has always been a way for her to express herself.

Dorsa finds freedom skateboarding the streets of Tehran. ( Supplied )

"It makes me feel free," she says.

Dorsa, who asked to be referred to only by her first name, listens to rock 'n' roll and hip-hop but doesn't necessarily see herself as a rebel.

She describes herself as "not very political" and says she has never been bothered by the country's authorities while skateboarding, despite reports of women being harassed for not adhering to Islamic dress.

"I think it's allowed. I have never had a problem skating the streets, but of course it can be hard," she says.

"I never look at it in that [rebellious] way. [Skateboarding] is just something different, because you don't see a lot of people skating in the streets of Iran every day.

"I can't say it's easy for us, because it is not."

Almost half the skaters in Tehran are women, and Iranians from all ages have taken up the sport, according to Alireza Ansari, who opened the country's first skateboard shop.

But that hasn't always been the case. It took the elders in the community some time to get used to skateboarding, he says, but over the years, they've grown to like it.

Mr Ansari, who has been a skateboarder for nearly 20 years, is one of the founders of Tsixty, a company that wants to introduce a "revolution" of skateboarding to the country and create a hybrid scene combining Iranian and Western skateboarding cultures.

Despite initial reluctance, many older Iranian have begun supporting youth skateboarding competitions. ( Supplied: Alireza Ansari )

"Skateboarding makes me feel free in my mind," he tells the ABC.

"For me, it's an art [where] you can create endless movement and tricks with your own style and way of thinking.

An original Tsixty skateboard design. ( Tsixty )

"I don't think of anything else while skating."

After they first began skating, Mr Ansari and his crew became fed up with the lack of skate spots in the city and took matters into their own hands, building the first skatepark in Tehran in 2008.

The Tsixty brand has since grown in popularity, often posting social media tutorials and hosting national skateboarding competitions.

"I'm proud to be involved in creating this culture and industry here … starting from around 10 people from Tehran and now we are looking at about 2,000 or more all over the country."

Hijab-wearing metalheads a Western 'problem'



Iranian rapper Dr G uses social media to post his freestyle raps and promote his music. ( Supplied )

While skateboarding culture has become more acceptable in Iran, many US-adopted cultures — like hip-hop and death metal — are still censored and kept underground.

One of the few English rappers in Tehran, Mohamad Rostami, also known as DR G, voices his rhymes in English to stay relevant to an international audience.

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With the country under Islamic rule, many Iranians have found it difficult to purchase music that contains explicit language or what the Government considers "blasphemous" lyrics that explore sex, drugs or alcohol.

While Mr Rostami has had no problems producing his music, he says hip-hop culture is not out in the open.

"Nobody in Iran, even the famous rappers, can have any concerts," he says.

But he doesn't let that stop him from pursuing his passion for hip hop.

"Politics — I never think about it, I don't really care about politics. I'm rapping, working, studying and training — just these four things."

In the film adaptation of Persepolis, punk rock metaphors are used to express the character's rebellious feelings and struggles with the Islamic regime.

Much like in the film, rock 'n' roll and heavy metal music are still popular in Iran, but remain heavily monitored and controlled by the Government, which maintains that Western music presents "a problem" for traditional Iranian music.

All public concerts must be approved by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which deems that rap music "encourages wild behaviour that could have a detrimental effect on society".

Persepolis demonstrated a culture of contradictions and misconceptions. ( Supplied: Persepolis )

Yet, it is not uncommon to see hijab-wearing metalheads and bearded men wielding guitars illegally posting their music to social media, with many subcultures continuing to thrive underground in Iran, or find bigger audiences overseas.

Rock music was first introduced in Iran in the 1960s when the British Invasion led by The Beatles and the Rolling Stones went global, birthing a hybrid sound mixing local styles and rhythms to create what has become known as 'Iranian rock'.

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But making this type of music in Iran comes at a cost, with many artists and performers being sentenced to prison for their work.

In 2015, artist Mehdi Rajabian was jailed for three years following a three-minute trial where he was barred from access to legal representation. He was subsequently banned from producing music in Iran.

"The artist is struggling during the Islamic regime and ideology — he is fighting, art is his weapon," he tells the ABC.

'For a revolution to succeed, the population must support it'

After years of hostility between the US and Iran, for many living outside the country, it's still hard to picture life in Iran being synonymous with or having ties to Western culture.

But according to research conducted by the American Iranian Council in 2016, daily life in Iran is filled with the same interests and activities that are common in the West.

"Images of Iranians as hostile, radical zealots are grossly inaccurate stereotypes of an educated and culturally receptive people where over 60 per cent of college graduates are female," the report said.

Sanctions and Government restrictions have kept many Western businesses out of Iran since the 1979 revolution, but Iran's relaxed copyright laws have seen the country produce many knock-off Western brands.

In 2018, foreign correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard spent a week in Iran to deliver a series of stories that explored Iranian culture and American stereotypes.

A storefront in Iran that appears to mimic the golden arches of McDonald's. ( Supplied: American Iranian Council )

While he wasn't sure what to expect, he was surprised to find young people so in touch with Western cultures, from music to fashion tastes. Some even obtained VPNs to illegally watch American television shows like Friends and Baywatch.

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Iranian state television channels have been known to broadcast Western films and television shows from illegal pirating sites.

"There are strange knock-offs of Western chains, so they might have the golden arches, but instead it's called like something like, 'American Burger'," he says.

"Some areas of Tehran resemble down-at-heel areas of Paris. Cosmetically the country is very nice, it's a lot nicer than you would imagine."

Hjelmgaard met with the CEO of a major airline who was a woman and found there were more women in senior roles than he expected.

"Iran, like anywhere else, is a country of contradictions," he says.

And it's those very contradictions that Persepolis' Marji wrestles with, trying to carve out an identity of her own while being torn in two — for example, she's considered an Iranian in the West, but in Iran, she's a foreigner.