Go Ferdowsi Mohawk!
By Max Amini: Sunday night, Iranian-American NASA flight director Bobak Ferdowsi and his hairstyle became synonymous with the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity mission (link here). As he sat behind his computer screen and monitored the activity of the Mars rover, the internet was blowing up in response to his red and blue mohawk and shaved stars.
Unbeknownst to him, Ferdowsi and his unusual hair became somewhat of an icon, and not just in terms of science and space exploration, either. As an Iranian, people like Bobak Ferdowsi redeem the image of Iranians in America and other parts of the world. With all of the negativity surrounding Iran at this time, it’s refreshing to see a young, hip guy like Ferdowsi really give us something to be proud of. The combination of his patriotic mohawk and down-to-earth personality promote the positivity of freedom of style! Ferdowsi’s presence and involvement during this historical event shows how freedom of style can be tremendously positive on a society and its individuals. It also raises an awareness for any country that doesn’t consider freedom of style's importance. In today’s world, it’s crucial that we promote the idea of being yourself, doing what you love and knowing that you’ll succeed. Hopefully the mohawked image of this young scientist will continue to influence and encourage our youth to get interested and involved in the worlds of math and science.
I think it’s pretty hilarious that in this interview with Fersowsi, Shira Lazar asks him hours after the mission if he realized his name was popping up all over the social media networks during the landing. Ferdowsi replies with something along the lines of “You know, at this point I’m still dealing with the fact that we JUST landed this thing on Mars...” Uh... the dude was a little busy driving a rover ON MARS. I don’t think he had a chance to look at Twitter!
With Ferdowsi’s new mohawk-rocking image for a scientist, he sure has changed the standard for the wizard! Next time I run into a guy with crazy hair... “I'd wonder if that dude’s a scientist?!!!”
Max Amini, Iranian Stand-Up comedian lives in Los Angeles where he regularly entertains audiences at the Laugh Factory. He performs stand-up comedy expressing his views of family and cultural topics around the world. In 2012, Max has headlined comedy shows in London, Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Toronto, Vancouver and throughout the United States. He is also an actor with numerous film and TV credits including NBC’s Heroes, a recurring role on Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia and a leading role in the movie Beer Pong. Max was chosen as one of the finalists for both the NBC and CBS Showcases during 2009 and 2012. You can also catch him in a stand up special currently airing on Showtime called "Bridging the Gap". Max graduated from UCLA’s school of Theater, Film and Television in 2004.
