Brave Iranian Women Challenge Oppressive Regime By Defying Compulsory Hijab Laws In Stunning Photos

Dutch photographer Marinka Masséus went to Iran to create a photo project about ‘My Stealthy Freedom’, the movement that empowers Iranian women to fight for more freedom.

Many Iranian women hate compulsory hijab, they see it as a symbol of oppression, forced upon them not by choice or personal beliefs but by an oppressive government. For them, it has become to represent the inequality and discrimination Iranian women face because of their gender.

Every day, Iranians, especially the women, defy the regime courageously by small acts of defiance. By wearing the hijab too low, the colors too bright, the pants too tight or the manteau too short. Together these constant acts of bravery are affecting change, slowly but visibly evolving. The regime responds to this with regular crack-downs – when women are arrested and harassed – and by creating new laws, like the recent ban for women to ride a bicycle.

Marinka: “With the windows of my Tehran apartment covered with tinfoil to ensure that the flash would not be visible from outside, we were safe to create and let creativity flow. The women threw their brightly colored headscarf in the air and as it inescapably floated back to them, I captured this act of defiance.”

Many Iranian women hate compulsory hijab, they see it as a symbol of oppression, forced upon them not by choice or personal beliefs but by an oppressive regime. For them, it has become to represent the inequality and discrimination Iranian women face because of their gender.

Photographer Marinka Masséus: “With the windows of my Tehran apartment covered with tinfoil so that the flash would not be visible from outside, we were safe to create and let creativity flow. The women threw their brightly colored headscarf in the air and as it inescapably floated back to them, I captured their act of defiance.”

Every day, Iranians, especially the women, defy the regime courageously by small acts of defiance. By wearing the hijab too low, the colors too bright, the pants too tight or the manteaux too short. Together these constant acts of bravery are affecting change, slowly but visibly evolving. The regime responds to this with regular crack-downs – when women are arrested and harassed – and by creating new laws, like the recent ban for women to ride a bicycle.

Although social media are forbidden in Iran, young people have access via VPN. Women in Tehran are using social media to help their battle. When they get arrested in the street for breaking the hijab rules, they film each other from a safe distance on their phones to document the brutality in the hopes of creating more awareness and to empower other Iranian women.

And now these protests have erupted into large demonstrations for democracy and the removal of religious supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The regime is trying to suppress the demonstrations with violence and by blocking internet access.