From Controlling Women’s Bodies to the Struggle for Human Dignity

Parvin Malek

For more than four decades, Iranian women have been fighting not over a piece of cloth, but for one of the most fundamental human rights — the right to bodily autonomy. Mandatory hijab is no longer a religious rule or a cultural tradition; it has become a symbol of oppression, humiliation, and political control. This article explores the resistance of women who seek to reclaim their bodies, their lives, and their futures from the grip of patriarchy, theocracy, and dictatorship.

From Choice to Coercion: Hijab as a Tool of Domination

Over forty years ago, the Islamic Republic turned the hijab from a personal choice into a political tool. Women’s bodies became a battleground of ideology, and compulsory veiling became one of the most visible instruments of social control.

Even some so-called “progressive” men trivialized this struggle by donning headscarves and posting photos online, reducing the profound concept of bodily autonomy to a superficial media performance. They failed to understand that the struggle is not just about clothing — it is about reclaiming ownership of one’s body and rejecting patriarchal guardianship.

A Law of Humiliation: Women as Objects, Men as Beasts