In Tehran, Iranian women are increasingly walking with their hair blowing in the wind – Libération

Despite the repression that is not abating, Iranian society in the big cities has changed profoundly over the past two years and women are increasingly taking responsibility for their choices, such as uncovering their hair, driving a motorbike or wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

Two years after Mahsa Jina Amini’s death, Iranian society, its cities and streets, have changed dramatically. Today, many women, especially from the most educated social classes, walk the streets boldly and uninhibitedly, wearing clothes that reflect their personal preferences, without adhering to the obligatory norms of the hijab. Whether it is shirts, skirts, T-shirts or short-sleeved dresses paired with jeans, and especially without covering their hair, women are seen everywhere – in stores, at their workplace or with their friends – dressed in a way that is more in line with their own desires.

These scenes are played out openly, including in front of police and security forces, who have responded with great violence against women defying the hijab requirement over the past two years. The authorities appear increasingly powerless to curb the growing civil disobedience, as women continue their daily struggle for their individual rights and freedoms. But sporadically, the police continue to target some women, arresting them, seizing their cars or charging them with criminal offences.