Clothing as Political Protest in Iran
Written by Ati Kian
Clothing has long been used as a tool of both oppression and political resistance in Iran. Following the 1979 revolution that led to the rise of the Islamic Republic, the hijab, or the headscarf, was forcibly imposed upon the women of Iran and the chador, a full-body length version of the hijab, became the mandated dress of the few women left in political offices. In a show of objection to this erosion of choice, thousands of women gathered in the capital city of Tehran on International Women’s Day to march against the imposition of the hijab, which had been announced just one day prior. The protests continued for over a week despite backlash that became violent when counter-protestors, i.e. those who believed in the teachings of Khomeini, began throwing bricks, knives, glass, and other harmful objects at the dissentors. Male supporters of the protesting women formed a human chain around the march as counterprotestors and militiamen became involved but were not always successful in helping protect them and ultimately, some female protestors were attacked. Additionally, an impressive number of women partook in a sit-in at the majlis, the Iranian parliament, where they demanded that the enforced veil be appealed and that a woman’s right to choice be reinstated. As an eighth-grader, my mother was one of the many women who participated in this sit-in. The international attention accrued by the protests pushed the Islamic Republic to roll back its mandatory veiling policy. However, this was only a temporary victory and, after the regime was able to eliminate all left-leaning politicians, the conservative Mullahs gained unrestrained control over the political sphere and resumed their iron-fisted control over female dress.
This story sounds familiar because it is a distant echo of the decades-long fight that Iranian women have put up against the brutal regime to protest for their rights– one they have been most unrelentingly fighting today– and is a reminder of the crucial role that imposed dress played in helping reduce female status and power in the country.
In 2005, the “morality police” branch was established by the Islamic Republic to police Iranian women’s wearing of the hijab as well as other required modest clothing items such as a roopoosh or manteau, a long, loose cardigan or shirt that passes the mid-thigh. Originally, only dark colored clothing was allowed as it was alleged by political leaders that colorful clothing suggested impurity and would attract negative male attention. However, despite the threat of prison sentences, hefty fines, and relentless police questioning, women rebelled against dress policies for years– so much so that by the time I visited Iran in 2017, I along with the women I saw on the streets were able to wear colorful and loose hijabs. That is not to say that these women did not face the possibility of getting harassed by morality police if an officer found an issue with their clothing. However, because women were dressing like this on a wide scale, the possibility of this kind of interaction with morality police had become less likely. That same year I had traveled to Iran, MyStealthyFreedom, a non-profit organization founded by journalist and staunch feminist activist Masih Alinejad, had launched a movement called “White Wedesdays”. The movement entailed women wearing white on Wednesdays in support of Vida Mohaved, who had been imprisoned for waving their white headscarves on a stick while standing on a platform on a popular street in Iran as an act of rebellion. Despite being born through social media, the movement had made such waves that I frequently spotted older women wearing white hijabs on Wednesdays, including my own grandmother.
Enter the ascendance of ultra-conservative President Raisi and, with it, the Islamic Republic’s empowered ambitions to further police women’s dress. On September 16th, 2022, Mahsa “Jina” Amini, a 22 year old Kurdish girl, was arrested and beaten into a fatal coma by morality police for “improper hijab” while visiting family in Tehran. This event launched a female-led revolution that has been raging in all parts of the country. In support of their cause, women have been walking about defiantly and extremely bravely without wearing the hijab or manteau, despite the devastating risks of doing so, as can be observed in the horrific cases of Nika Shakarami, Armita Abassi, Ayda Rasti, and countless other girls who have been kidnapped, raped, and/or killed for fighting to live in a free Iran where they can dress (and live) as they please. Moreover, women of long-persecuted minority groups, including Kurdish women like Mahsa, have been proudly wearing their outlawed traditional clothing in the streets without hijab.
As Iranian women continue to use clothing as an impactful mode of political protest, it is imperative that women in Western countries listen to their grievances, amplify their voices, and conceive of concrete ways to advance their cause– because, ultimately, a woman’s freedom to wear what she pleases carries greater weight than many recognize. It’s a matter of automony, power, individuality and, as seen in Iran, it can be one of life or death.
Sources:
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FreeIran2022. “Kurdish Woman Wearing Cultural Clothing in Streets .” Twitter, Twitter, 21 Oct. 2022, https://twitter.com/i/status/1583484884664057863.
Han, Yoonji. “Hijab: An Iranian Metamorphosis.” IranWire, 28 Sept. 2022, https://iranwire.com/en/features/66667/.
Isfahani, Khosro Kalbasi. “Kurdish Women Wearing Cultural Clothing To Defy Gender Apartheid Regime.” Twitter, Twitter, 18 Oct. 2022,
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Rasool, Mohammed. “Women in Iran Are Rebelling against the Compulsory Hijab Law.” VICE, 11 July 2022, https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7gepv/iran-hijab-law.
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