The Influence of Turkish Soap Operas on Middle Class Working Women of Mashhad This study presents change of women role models among middle class Iranian women, who tend to watch Turkish soap operas broadcast by satellite channels like GEM and River rather than the programs produced and broadcast by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). In line with the studies of identity change, especially those by Najmabadi and Tavakoli Taraghi on the change of Iranians through their encounter with the Europeans, as well as the investigations on women role models by Pouya , this study focuses on the changes in self and identity perceptions along with the creation of an alternative social discourse that stands in contrast to the identity engineered by dominant political and religious discourses of the Islamic Republic of Iran. To identify the revolutionary Iranian women from before, the Islamic regime introduced Fatima and Zeinab from early Islam as role models to mobilize women for the Revolution and the 1980s logistic activities. Fatima and Zeinab symbolized sacrifice and modesty, and after the War they were used to send women back to private sphere. During 1990s IRIB depicted mothers and sisters of the martyrs of the Revolution and the war , the successful entrepreneurs in the 1990s, as well as certain modest fictional characters that emphasised sacrificing modest women. This study was informed by participant observation and interviews conducted on middle class educated working women in Mashhad, and focused on the influence of vastly popular Turkish soap operas, like ‘Forbidden Love’, ‘Dila Hanim’ and ‘Fatma Gul’ on such ideas as feminine beauty, body care, fashion, freedom and carpe diem. The interviewees stated that unlike with the characters in Brazilian, Egyptian, or Korean soap operas, they often identify with the Turks, because we share similar culture, values and history. Reported by the participants, such manifestations of everyday life as shopping for Made-in-Turkey clothes rather than Iranian or Chinese brands, drinking Turkish-style coffee and tea, wearing more high-hills and Turkish-style scarves, as well as the growing number of women entering into illicit relationships and making independent decisions about their love lives are among the ones counted by the women participants in this study. The results of this ethnographical study indicate the growing alternative discourses of self-presentation and perception of identity that are inspired by Turkish characters from satellite channels, replacing IRIB role models of modesty and sacrifice.