Women walk past a fruit shop near Enghelab (Revolution) Square in Tehran on Nov. 11, 2025. (Credit: Atta Kenare/AFP)
When Nazanin*, a retired engineer, runs late, she slips on her shoes and lets a scarf fall loosely over her head. “I only wear it when I don’t have time to brush my hair,” she says, laughing as if she still can’t believe she’s saying this.For the past few months, she has rarely worn the mandatory hijab, much like many other women in the streets of Tehran.Countless images on social media show women walking through the Iranian capital with their hair uncovered or singing in public, both strictly prohibited under Iranian law.More recently, women have been seen riding motorcycles even though they are not legally allowed to obtain licenses.For Bahar*, 40, the uprising that began in September 2022 after the death of young Kurdish woman Mahsa Jina Amini, who had been arrested and beaten by the morality police for “wearing inappropriate...
When Nazanin*, a retired engineer, runs late, she slips on her shoes and lets a scarf fall loosely over her head. “I only wear it when I don’t have time to brush my hair,” she says, laughing as if she still can’t believe she’s saying this.For the past few months, she has rarely worn the mandatory hijab, much like many other women in the streets of Tehran.Countless images on social media show women walking through the Iranian capital with their hair uncovered or singing in public, both strictly prohibited under Iranian law.More recently, women have been seen riding motorcycles even though they are not legally allowed to obtain licenses.For Bahar*, 40, the uprising that began in September 2022 after the death of young Kurdish woman Mahsa Jina Amini, who had been arrested and beaten by the morality police for “wearing...
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