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Iranian Music Streaming Site Removes All Female Singers From Their Album Covers, And It Looks Really Wrong
An album isn't just about the music. Yes, the sounds are without a doubt its most essential element, but we must acknowledge the role of cover art in making it whole. Be it the fold-out gatefolds of the vinyl era, the pull-out liner notes in CD cases or the icon on a digital player, these visuals have an important role in defining how we look at a particular release. However, one Iranian streaming site, Melovaz, isn't happy with how some of them look. In fact, they're so worried these album covers might be a bad influence on their listeners, they're censoring them. What devil seeds are these pictures featuring, you ask? Women.
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#1
Lady Gaga - Joanne
Tifferooski 6 years ago
I bet they'd just erase women of the planet if they could. Too bad they need us to exist.
blugeagua 6 years ago
And that's just the thing, women are human beings too, and they NEED us to make more human beings (and that includes making more male humans). So you'd think that even just for that reason they would see us as equals...
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Kathleen Cochran 6 years ago
Theocracies at best are annoying, at worst, dangerous. The only ones who like them are the freaks making the rules.
Martha Meyer 6 years ago
This might not have been so noticable if they has moved the hat a bit lower.
Kelly Helen 6 years ago
Men of this planet would love it if they could just leave our vaginas intact and erase everything else from real life tbh. It seems that majority of men worldwide hate women as evidenced by how much they try to erase and silence us from political and social life, sexually assault us, rape and murder us, sell us as sex slaves, create child brides, make other women ABORT female fetuses ( and thus creating a huge gender imbalance and a crisis in South and parts of Southeast Asia and China as a whole) then FORBID and control us from having an abortion in the 1st place, etc. God I'm just so tired of men's misogyny and their violence against us....
Thomas Nymark 6 years ago
Is this your opinion of "men" in general, seriously? Because then you are simply guilty of misandry (the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against men or boys in general). We are many men who love and adore women in all parts of life (social, cultural, political, sexual etc.) and who would never engage in any kind of violence against women. Your examples are of course valid, because these horrible acts do happen around the world. But they are not shared by most men at all.
Load More Replies..."I was casually scrolling through Reddit when a user there submitted a photo of Taylor Swift's new album cover without herself, just the album title," Izzi, the Twitter user who spread the message, told Bored Panda. "In the comment section, someone linked to that Iranian music streaming site so I went there and discovered the huge collection of photoshopped music covers specifically involving women."
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#2
Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born
J.Labuschagné 6 years ago
The way the darker streak connects to his forehead makes it look like something is oozing from his mind. Could be a good concept for some obscure indie song with a manifesto like 'with my guitar I shape reality' or 'Freeing the monsters from my mind through song'...
Piper Smythe 6 years ago
When you jam too hard and your Lovecraftian void creature materializes from the abyss to tell you to keep it down
At first, he was surprised and in disbelief, however, due to the ridiculousness of the situation, Izzi couldn't help but laugh at some of the horrible jobs they did to remove the female artists from their covers. "That was when I felt like I should share this on my Twitter."
#3
Lana Del Rey - Nfr!
Mihran Hovnanian 6 years ago
Lana is a thief!! She left and took half the US flag with her!... No respect for her fans and the male model who now looks perplexed and lonely.
"The editing for A Star Is Born's song Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper infuriated me the most. They completely censored and removed Gaga but not Brad, and even did a terrible job at it. That was so unnecessary."
"I would like to add that I know for a fact that some countries in the Middle East would censor its female images by adding clothes and hijabs, I'm not okay with that, but this Iranian streaming site takes it to a whole new level by erasing every trace of them," Izzi said. "I hope this brings some awareness to the world that some women still face this kind of discrimination even in the 21st century."
#4
Avril Lavigne - Head Above Water Cover
razan youssef 6 years ago
honestly, the second one actually looks pretty cool, it just needs a different title
Dianna Siever 6 years ago
The hand is still on the guitar in the reflection. Everyone is now going to hell.
Zen Korotkoff 6 years ago
Head was above water... now she appears to have drowned 🤦♀️ Stop deleting women from your history... *huff*
#5
Beyoncé - Spirit
Bettina Jansen 6 years ago
Wonder if they'll end up erasing the lioness too (once someone points out she's a girl too)
#6
Little Mix Ft. Nicki Minaj - Woman Like Me
Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch 6 years ago
Why? These are just head shots while wearing black turtlenecks.
Aria Whitaker 6 years ago
Because they are women. These dont have anything to do with what they are wearing (the Lizzo one was simply a headshot of her in a wedding veil), they are doing this because they are female, and that country is oppressive toward women.
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Mack-doodle 6 years ago
Lol surprised they didn't blur out the part of the tittle that says 'women'
Jazlyn Diopenes 6 years ago
Why not change the titke as well? "No women like me"? As there no women in the pictures 😂
#7
Céline Dion - Ashes Steve Aoki Deadpool Demix
Falcon 6 years ago
I guess they weren't sure if Deadpool was a female so they just played it safe 🤣
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#8
Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep
Annemarie Mattheyse 6 years ago
How is that picture going to lead any men astray??? Sure, her hair is visible, but she's wearing baggy pyjamas!
Reza Farokhi Pour 6 years ago
Dear Annemarie there is rule in Committee of filtering if any site inside of Iran put a picture of any woman that site will be filter. This is one of our biggest problem that we have in our country, which is ridiculous.
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Anna Segers 6 years ago
Hmm this bed could lead to impure thoughts. Why not photoshop life away completely? I hope that deleting women from music album covers makes them feel like 'real men' (or truely 'devout men'). If you can't beat them, delete them. If this is what one needs to resort to...that's just sad. I feel sorry for them. Masculinity zero. If these men only had as much success as the women they tried to erase... Stop fighting women and embrace their talents, wit and potential. The world looks down on these men. From attempted powerplay to global shame pit.
#9
Mxmtoon - The Masquerade
#10
Billie Eilish - When I Was Older
#11
Lizzo, Dababy - Truth Hurts
chi-wei shen 6 years ago
Oh. My. God. I can see a little bit of female skin in the bottom left! What a scandal, the censors didn't do a good job.
Martha Meyer 6 years ago
Probably a subtle f*** you from the person, who has to photoshop all these women out of their albums all day long.
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Blueplanet 6 years ago
Exactly! People want a blob of dirty green rather than a face?
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Shari Pierre 6 years ago (edited)
They really don't care about black artists. They just blur the whole thing out
#12
Katy Perry - Small Talk
#13
Pnb Rock, Nicki Minaj, Murda Beatz - Fendi
The cation 6 years ago
This is actually terrible. Like, Hello? Woman can make good music, and woman deserves to be heard. Woman rights?? Hello?? I guess that's not a thing in Iran.
The cation 6 years ago
this is actually terrible. Like, Hello?, Woman can make good music too, woman matter too. Woman rights? Not a thing in Iran I guess. :\
#14
Dua Lipa - Dua Lipa
Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch 6 years ago
Now I'm having impure, lustful thoughts because they left the silhouette.
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#15
Melanie Martinez - K-12
Ivy Ruonakoski 6 years ago
They also erased half of the flower pot. Like, what did it do wrong?
Grettel Barcelo 6 years ago
Did any of you guys even spot her in the first pic? Its almost. So hard to detect and distinguish. Iran needs to reform their old system beliefs because we are in the 22 st century that is old fashioned and backwards. A bit like savages and animals behave.
#16
Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next
Ghantasoor 6 years ago
We have had a white album and also a black album... Now we get a dirty album.. Good creativity..
#17
Ariana Grande - Imagine
未周 陸 6 years ago (edited)
WAIT! They Not Only have problems with Female Singers, But Chinese Language AS WELL?!
#18
Marina - Love Fear
Id row 6 years ago
Handmaid's Tale is too progressive for them. It shows that women exist.
Load More Replies... #19
Kygo And Whitney Houston - Higher Love
Damon Ferrara 6 years ago
I dig it, It looks very artsy, like something important's been erased. Seriously, it looks like something important's been erased.
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pusheen buttercup 6 years ago
if it's because women aren't allowed to show their faces- normally they show their eyes right? why not just photoshop on a scarf, or leave just their eyes? it would at least be something
Grettel Barcelo 6 years ago
I wouldn’t want to be a fly, much less a woman in this day and age in this country. Or part of whatever b******t they are creating with this crazed monopoly of erasing one woman at a time from CD covers like wtf is up with all of this?
#20
Afro B - Afrowave 3
TheBlackPanda 6 years ago
He was surrounded by so many woman they feared he might become one too by association lol
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Lori Savoca 6 years ago
I guess they don't allow black men either. If you scroll through, all the black men are removed except for Bruno Mars. I guess the light skin threw them off lol
Kirah Bettis 6 years ago
I guess they are not good enough at photoshopping to leave the man in
Grettel Barcelo 6 years ago
I can just picture a government person saying with an Irianian accent: the black man has to go too.
Sonam Wangden 6 years ago
It was too much work for the guy erasing it, "heck, lets just remove them all"
#21
Camila Cabello - Liar
Holly Allen 6 years ago
If they had left the wings and arrows it would have been thought provoking
#22
Meghan Trainor - Badass Woman
J.Labuschagné 6 years ago
It's pink, and we all know, pink is not a colour - it's a gender!
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Theresa Tzitzira 6 years ago
The badass woman should punch all of the d---heads that did this to the covers of these albums!
Grettel Barcelo 6 years ago
The car is pink people!! OMG aim so sick and tired of the misogynistic bastard who edited this. F**k it
#23
Lana Del Rey - Doin' Time Album
#24
Ariana Grande - Boyfriend
#25
Celine Dion - Courage
Michael Barry 6 years ago
Iran... just 2 words.... Titanic, have you seen it? Ok yeah I know that's more than 2 words but Celene Dion is more than just a picture, you can censor the cover but you cant censor her beautiful image
Mr Pow! Pow! 6 years ago
That's funny ! "Con" means "stupid / idiot / dumb" in French and "courage" is written like that in French ... Celine speaking French ... So, "stupid courage" XD
#26
Beyonce - Homecoming
Michael Barry 6 years ago
Beyonce's you can do no wrong, try to censor your face but I can still see it girl.... I can STILL see you, look, infamy closing my eyes, and what do I see? Beyonce damn right I still see her, THAT is how fine she is
#27
Miley Cyrus - She Is Coming
Emma Wilkie 6 years ago
Editor: "lets just leave that little bit of her pants to make it look less empty"
#28
Bebe Rexha - Last Hurrah
Michael Barry 6 years ago
You know what Iran, you cant stop the girl.... ok just this once.... oh no no no did you think I was going fo let that slip? You cant stop Bebe Rexha
#29
Taylor Swift - Lover
Natalie Rose 6 years ago
Ahahahahha! Don’t you censor out my LGBTQ+ supporter idol! Nuh uh! Don’t even go there!
Damon Ferrara 6 years ago
First they came for Miley Cyrus, and I did not speak out because I am not a Miley Cyrus fan...
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theoneandonlynoira 3 years ago
NO NOT TAYLOR wait did they also photoshop her other albums??? NOOOOOOO
Michael Barry 6 years ago
Oh Taylor, our love lies broken on the kitchen floor like so many shards of broken and shattered wedding China and we arent even #### married Taylor! Why is our broken on the kitchen floor? What have we done to deserve this? Whyyyyyyyyyy?
#30
Saweetie - Icy
Tifferooski 6 years ago
This is like the only one I remotely understand the purpose for censoring.
Damon Ferrara 6 years ago
What interests me more is that you can play Saweetie in Iran at all.
Michael Barry 6 years ago
I dont know if a downvote is considered a good or bad thing? If she was standing in front of me looking like that I would totally go down vote on that.... I dont even k ow what that means? And neither do any of you so stop laughing
nala simba 6 years ago
They can't all be gay woman haters? Are they? Don't they even know that their mothers and sisters are women? nen
#31
Jennifer Lopez And French Montana - Medicine
Ed Souza 6 years ago
An improvement would be Jennifer's butt on the cover.
Load More Replies... #32
Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
#33
Twice - Fee Special
#36
Lady Gaga - Joanne
#37
Mariah Carey - A No No
#38
Tove Lo - Sunshine Kitty
#40
Bruno Mars - Please Me Cover
#41
Shakira And Maluma - Clandestino
karen snyder 6 years ago
Oh, okay, Ed. Censoring Beyonce, "Made a better cover." But Shakira is "too pretty." I believe you are sorely missing the point of this thread.
Load More Replies... #42
Summer Walker - Over It Cover
#43
Nicki Minaj - Megatron
Lori Savoca 6 years ago
How do I photoshop this without ruining the car and trees?.... problem solved
#44
Alicia Keys And Miguel Released - Show Me Love
#46
Iggy Azalea - In My Defense
#48
Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho
J.Labuschagné 6 years ago
That, and I'm also not fond of the massive rape element.
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#50
Madonna And Maluma - Medellín
#51
Fat Joe, Cardi B, Anuel Aa - Yes
#52
Celine Dion - Flying On My Own + Dave Audé Remix
#53
Jennifer Lopez And Bad Bunny - Te Guste
#56
Nicki Minaj - Queen
Annemarie Mattheyse 6 years ago
Okay, I get why this one was censored. But is obliteration really the answer?? This is some next-level misogyny.
Loki 6 years ago
She's retiring actually! She wants to start a family now! :-)
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#59
Jennifer Lopez, Dj Khaled And Cardi B - Dinero (Cade Remix)
#62
Mariah Carey - Gtfo
J.Labuschagné 6 years ago
Honestly, if you look at the lyrics and themes of many of these songs, the woman on the cover is the least of their moral worries.
#64
Charli Xcx - Charli
EA 6 years ago
Women fight so hard to be taken seriously in the workplace, we fight sexual harassment, some of us on a daily basis, and just want to be treated fairly, based on merit. And then women like this ruin all of that and belittle the struggles we face every day. I feel bad for some of the ladies in this post being censored, it’s being done for the wrong reasons but for goodness sake let your music and talent speak for itself. If you have to take your clothes off to sell your work then what is the point!
Little Wonder 6 years ago
No. She doesn't HAVE to take her clothes off, she wants to. She's comfortable in her skin and she wanted a certain look and expression for her album. It's fine. You can keep yours on, she can take hers off. It doesn't make either one of you better or worse than the other. She's not belittling you, she's expressing herself. She's allowed, it doesn't take anything away from anyone else.
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IAmNotAWoman,I'mAHalseyFan 4 years ago
Well that may be true, but isn't the feminist movement focused on equality and empowerment? We shouldn't be mad about women taking some of their clothes off, we should be mad about the fact that if women act like that, they are treated as sexual objects, not like real people. You say that women just want to be treated fairly, and not judged by who they are, but if you really feel like that then you shouldn't judge these women by how they dress. If they want to dress like that, then fine. People should be teaching boys to not treat girls as sexual objects, not be teaching girls the "right" way to dress.
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What do you think ?
Alice P 6 years ago
As Iranian girl who lives there, I'd like to mention that according to strange law here listening to female singers is banned and this site is doing illegal and this sort of censorship is a weak try for ditching authorities. by the way 90 percent of people here don't like this kind of rules and don't listen to the government. this actually happened after 1979 Revolution in Iran before that time we had a free country like yours.
Bethany Fields 6 years ago
It makes more sense now that you've explained the reason why. Religion should never have power in government. I hope you return to having freedoms, stay strong, sister! ✊
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blugeagua 6 years ago (edited)
Apparently I was downvoted for agreeing with you on how the Iranian government is treating the women is wrong. Wow.....
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Hans 6 years ago
Yet censorship is accepted widely, particularly if moneycomes i to play. Western IT companies freely abide to China's censorship for example if they fear it might otherwise affect their business.
Tina Hugh 6 years ago
To their credit, these Iranian sites seem to be doing what they have to to make Western music available. It sounds like they’re risking arrest and aren’t even making money. Western companies are the exact opposite.
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DP von Icecream 6 years ago (edited)
Or 1 possible result of no clear separation of Church & State :-/
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Jon S. 6 years ago
Having spent time in Iran you get used to this. Western movies are heavily censored to the point that plots cease to make sense because all the female characters have been removed. Iranian culture is nowhere near as conservative or repressed as people think it is (you'll see all kinds of women's hair styles if you walk down a street in Tehran) but the publishers/broadcasters know if someone in the religious police wants to make an example of someone that month, they have no chance of escaping a harsh penalty if they are the ones picked on.
Mandy Moo 6 years ago
Thank you Jon S. for your patient explanations throughout this post. I feel like I've learned a lot from you about a culture I'm not very familiar with. Very much appreciated!
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Shireen 6 years ago
This isn't suprising... it's just sad. There's Islam, modesty and then there's plain old ignorance.
Alice P 6 years ago
As Iranian girl who lives there, I'd like to mention that according to strange law here listening to female singers is banned and this site is doing illegal and this sort of censorship is a weak try for ditching authorities. by the way 90 percent of people here don't like this kind of rules and don't listen to the government. this actually happened after 1979 Revolution in Iran before that time we had a free country like yours.
Bethany Fields 6 years ago
It makes more sense now that you've explained the reason why. Religion should never have power in government. I hope you return to having freedoms, stay strong, sister! ✊
Load More Replies... blugeagua 6 years ago (edited)
Apparently I was downvoted for agreeing with you on how the Iranian government is treating the women is wrong. Wow.....
Load More Replies... Hans 6 years ago
Yet censorship is accepted widely, particularly if moneycomes i to play. Western IT companies freely abide to China's censorship for example if they fear it might otherwise affect their business.
Tina Hugh 6 years ago
To their credit, these Iranian sites seem to be doing what they have to to make Western music available. It sounds like they’re risking arrest and aren’t even making money. Western companies are the exact opposite.
Load More Replies... DP von Icecream 6 years ago (edited)
Or 1 possible result of no clear separation of Church & State :-/
Load More Replies... Jon S. 6 years ago
Having spent time in Iran you get used to this. Western movies are heavily censored to the point that plots cease to make sense because all the female characters have been removed. Iranian culture is nowhere near as conservative or repressed as people think it is (you'll see all kinds of women's hair styles if you walk down a street in Tehran) but the publishers/broadcasters know if someone in the religious police wants to make an example of someone that month, they have no chance of escaping a harsh penalty if they are the ones picked on.
Mandy Moo 6 years ago
Thank you Jon S. for your patient explanations throughout this post. I feel like I've learned a lot from you about a culture I'm not very familiar with. Very much appreciated!
Load More Replies... Shireen 6 years ago
This isn't suprising... it's just sad. There's Islam, modesty and then there's plain old ignorance.
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