On The Shahs Of Sunset Reality Show

When I saw last week that Ryan Seacrest Productions had an upcoming reality show based on the lives of wealthy LA-based Iranian-Americans called the Shahs of Sunset, I did what any self-respecting, tech-friendly Iranian-American would do.

I shared the news on Facebook, tweeted the URL, and even sent the link to my agent, who's currently shopping my memoir, hoping to ride the crest, for-want-of-a-better-word, of a little zeitgeist.

After all, how often do Iranians get in the media spotlight (other than as nuclear-toting demented despots), let alone get their own television program premiering this March on Bravo, the network that brought us the Real Housewives franchise?

Shahs of Sunset depicts the lives of a group of young (the mind reels after discerning the official photo) Persian-American couples (Persian = I hate mullahs) living it up in Tehranangeles, the overpriced swath of real estate between Beverly Hills and West LA gobbled up by savvy Iranian expats following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In any case, the show will no doubt follow the decidedly un-shah-like shenanigans of the couples with the hopes of catapulting them into the public eye in much the same way that the Kardashians were (though I must admit the Kardashians were a whole lot prettier, as are most of the Persian girls I know).

But then I had an epiphany. The Shahs of Sunset were neither me nor mine, except perhaps the Iranian-American part, though I wasn't born here and didn't grow up in SoCal; except perhaps the living in LA part, I too had staked my decade in that city, though I had slogged it in the film business as a single woman in a rent-control studio -- and except, perhaps, the filthy rich Persian guy part. I once dated one, who drove a Ferrari and whose parents owned a chunk of Tehranangeles, but even that relationship stands out by virtue of being short-lived and the only one of its kind.

No, there's more to it...

It occurs to me that the shahs I knew in Tehranangeles were UCLA professors with Ivy League pedigrees, or doctors, bankers and lawyers who wouldn't be caught dead with facial hair, or without neckties and dress socks (unlike the men in the PR picture). Some of them were even professional women. My point is there are shahs and there are shahs, as a quick course in multi-dynastic ancient Persian history will reveal!

To illustrate further: take the ladies in the PR picture. True, I had big hair in the '80s (didn't everyone?) but I no longer wear a Persian cat with tail extensions on my head. Makeup these days for me is slash of lipstick, not an hour-long ritual. Of course, I like designer clothes, but I spend most of my time in jeans, driving carpool or lugging groceries for my family. To say I don't traipse around in strappy gowns and towering heels is a given. Indeed, the last time I got really dressed up was to marry my all-American Southern husband. Oh -- and the only seriously logo-ed bag in my wardrobe is a faux Chanel, naturally made in Iran!

You get my point.

Having said all this, reality shows are pure entertainment based on caricatures of real people, so why not a show about a certain segment of the Iranian-American population? Apparently, there are more than half-a-million Iranian-Americans living in LA alone, and research also shows they are 50 percent richer than average Americans...

To support my brethren, I'll watch the Shahs of Sunset, I'll get the cultural allusions, of which there are bound to be plenty, and I'll have a good laugh at the right clichés, but please, oh please, all you Americans in the Heartland, not the Iranian-American ones who know the difference, this is not who most of us are and certainly not how most of us live.

This show must be taken with a big handful of pistachios... the heavily salted kind.

 

Follow Charlotte Safavi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@CharlotteSafav

Comments

[House Hunt]

03:11 PM on 02/20/2012

OMG..I cannot wait until this show debuts. The Shah's of Sunset..in my opinion will be watched by so many people. I have a lot of Iranian friends and this will be so good for them. There are so many stereotypes out there about the Middle East, hopefully the show will dispel a lot of those. Honestly there's no difference between any other immigrants that came to the US, like the Irish, or Italians etc.. and if you haven't been to a Persian restaurant you are seriously missing out!

[bernie12345]

05:46 PM on 02/01/2012

I would have to agree with TruthsetsFree9 about the way many Persians behave in Los Angeles. While I have met several who seem to be very nice, friendly to Americans and soft spoken, I have come in contact with many more who are rude, arrogant, have their own way of thinking and refuse to listen to another point of view. In business, they can be extremely irritating to deal with and have the attitude that they are better than anyone else. They seem to look down on Americans athough this where they come with all their money and build these huge homes, and I resent that attitude towards Americans. When it comes to money issues, many Persians will try their hardest to get Americans in business to discount their services and try to get the most for the least which is very disrespectful. I'm sorry to say all this because my grandparents were immigrants but they did not try to push their lifestyle from Russia on others, they learned to speak English, they did not disrespect Americans, they were friendly and respectful to all. They did not behave as if they were better than anyone else, they just came here for a better life and that is what they tried to do - quietly. Not going to watch this show. The last thing we need is watching a show with everyone trying to one up each other. It's enough with these "reality" shows anyway.

[ataravati]

12:21 PM on 02/01/2012

It's Tehrangeles, not Tehranangeles. It's a portmanteau word. You just ruin its whole point by referring to it as Tehranangeles.

[Austin Hoffmann]

01:37 AM on 02/01/2012

LMAO...just watched the trailer:
http://www.peeje.com/persian-jersey-shore-shahs-sunset-214/

[TruthSetsFree9]

11:46 AM on 01/26/2012

I will waatch this show only to laugh at the people on it, just as I do with Jersey Shore and Mob Wives. Remember, the reason things are funny, is because they contain more than a grain of truth to them. There are many very nice, classy, and integrated Persians in LA. Unfortunately, the stereotype many Angelenos have of Persians based on the way many Persians comport themselves, is of a community that doesnt want to integrate, thinks its better than everyone else, and are often unethical in business. Undoubtedly, this behavior in some Persians (certainly not most or all) is due to the fact that in Iran, their class ruled over and above the others,and you were rither rich and privilged, or a "serf". I can understand why Persians living in LA have a difficult time accepting the fact that America is an egalitarian, diverse society with many classes of people.

[Charlotte Safavi]

12:53 PM on 01/26/2012

A stereotype is a stereotype, with a grain of truth, no more no less. My concern is that it be perceived as reality by those who don't know Iran or Iranians. Sorry your own experiences haven't been the best, but I don't think you can demarcate the complexity of any society by lumping the people into rich and privileged, and everyone else ('serfs' is the word you use). From what I recall, Iran had a strong, emergent middle class prior to the Revolution, many of whom supported the change at the time without having any idea of what was to come. Some of these people fled, as their dreams fell apart, as did the Shah class, and they are now likely among the wealthy classes in LA. Truthfully, Iranians are among the most industrious and hardworking people I know. Also the very concept of an egalitarian, diverse society comes from ancient Persia - look up Cyrus the Great and when the Persian Empire was home to many classes and cultures of people with their arms wide open. Having different cultural goals among the upper/middle classes and the lower, more deeply religious classes is how I always perceived the divide. And greed, of course, and corruption and cronyism never help. But this is hardly a sole Iranian problem these days...

[africaunite]

04:46 PM on 02/10/2012

"Also the very concept of an egalitaria­n, diverse society comes from ancient Persia". So you believe that no other society, culture or civilization was like this before Persians? Hmm... and we wonder why people think some Persians act like they are better than everyone else.

[Charlotte Safavi]

12:55 PM on 01/26/2012

By Shah class I meant those loyal to former Shah Reza Pahlavi, not the Shahs of Sunset, just clarifying.

[llucretia300]

05:31 PM on 01/25/2012

Unless this show is bringing some interesting, new cultural perspectives to the tv table, I fail to see how it is any different than all the other reality fare out there. Is it just offering up another bunch of rich LA folks with too much money, too much time and too much mean spiritedness on their hands? I, for one, am getting very bored with that formula!

[Charlotte Safavi]

09:26 AM on 01/26/2012

This show will likely have an ethnic component to it...but I haven't seen it yet either.

[RibEye]

12:58 AM on 01/25/2012

While reality TV shows are popular and anything which will get an audience will be aired, the topic of propaganda sometimes comes to mind. And if not propaganda maybe exploitation as it occurred to different ethnicities throughout different eras in Hollywood. It would be nice to see an article about anti Persian/Iranian portrayal by main stream media and Hollywood. Hence there is no Hollywood movie about Cyrus the Great even though they remade everything else under the sun. It would be very difficult to somehow make Cyrus look bad.

[Charlotte Safavi]

02:22 PM on 01/26/2012

I haven't seen A Separation yet, but with two Academy Award nominations behind it, I'd say it's getting mainstream Hollywood honors--not to mention its Golden Globe best foreign film win. Ironically, this film came out of Iran, not the US. I can't wait to see it.

[SFAttorney]

08:33 PM on 01/24/2012

thank you, ms. safavi, for putting this show into context. your points are well taken and much appreciated.

[Charlotte Safavi]

04:58 PM on 01/24/2012

My point is simply that they are a segment of our expat community, not all of it.

[SFAttorney]

08:27 PM on 01/24/2012

speak up, sister. thank you for putting the show in such a balanced context. your point is well taken and much appreciated.

[Charlotte Safavi]

07:14 AM on 01/25/2012

You're welcome, bro. Context is everything.

[Henry Safavi]

02:58 PM on 01/24/2012

Totally agree; no decent Tehrangelesi would be caught dead with facial hair, or neckties and dress socks. This bunch as per official photo appears to be direct import from some provincial bazaar near Afghanistan border with Iran.

[Charlotte Safavi]

10:07 AM on 01/25/2012

My intent isn't to be a snob, but to point out that there are shahs and there are shahs, as there are Smiths and there are Smiths. All in all, this is reality TV and these people are actors.

[ashkan amirsoleymani]

02:14 PM on 01/24/2012

This is a joke, as a Persian American im appalled! This cast is NOT 100% Persian, and they are not know in the Persian community of Los Angeles (Beverly Hills). This show must be completely contrived. Know one cares about a bunch of old F*cks, if you want a since of real Persian-American culture go to Westwood!! This is a joke to disgrace the name of the shah with this smut, just beacuse you can speak farsi doesn't make you Persian (most arabs, armenians, afghani, speak farsi but are definitely NOT PERSIAN) this is propaganda!

P.S
Im A Real Persian American born in raised in Beverly Hills, and i never heard of these Fers as Persian's, i'm in the scene. Westside 310

[Charlotte Safavi]

05:01 PM on 01/24/2012

I don't know about propaganda. But it's Reality TV, therefore, likely it's contrived.

[vandalcraz]

06:22 PM on 01/24/2012

I don't think Iranian's are any more "Persian" than say Afghans or Tajiks (both of whose territory was once part of that now long gone empire). For an Iranian living in 2012 to refer to himself as being "Persian" is like an Italian guy saying he is "Roman."

[RibEye]

10:15 PM on 01/24/2012

Suggestion, check the location of the capitols of the Persian Empire, such as Persepolis. While you are right about Empires being long gone, the Italian guy is certainly more Roman than a German although the Roman Empire covered both. Persia comes from the word Pars which is a province in Iran. Additionally Persian refers to a culture as well, although mostly in the Western world.

[Charlotte Safavi]

10:03 AM on 01/25/2012

Look up Pars. And Iran is a relatively new name, look up Iran origins of name. I have vintage globes that list the country as Persia, just saying...