Iranians via Twitter: Yes, we can wear jeans

Iranian young people have taken to Twitter to criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for saying they are banned from wearing blue jeans.

Netanyahu in an interview last week with the BBC Persian channel said: “If the people of Iran were free, they could wear jeans, listen to Western music and have free elections.”

On Sunday, Twitter was full of young Iranians posting photos of their jeans and criticism of Netanyahu. Many of the posts used the hash-tag #IRANJEANS.

“Lol, Netanyahu doesn’t know Iranians wear jeans, how can he know that Iran is developing nuclear weapons?” one post read.

Twitter is banned in Iran, and users must bypass a government firewall in order to use it, according to reports.

Marcy Oster is a JTA correspondent in Israel. She worked at the Cleveland Jewish News for nearly 12 years and was senior staff reporter when she made aliyah in 2000. She has won several awards for her writing from organizations including The Press Club of Cleveland, Society for Professional Journalists, Women in Communications and the American Jewish Press Association.