BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • Trending

#BBCtrending: The women in Iran taking off the hijab

  • Published
    12 May 2014
Share page
About sharing
A woman standing on the top of a hill with her back to the camera and her arms outstretched - one of the images of the "My Stealthy Freedom" Facebook pageImage source, Facebook/آزادی های یواشکی زنان در ایران
ByBBC Trending
What's popular and why

Women across Iran are posting photos of themselves without the hijab to a dedicated Facebook page called "My Stealthy Freedom".

The Facebook page, external was set up just over a week ago, and already has 130,000 "likes". Almost all are from people in Iran, both men and women.

So far the page has around 150 photos. They show women on the beach, on the street, in the countryside, alone, with friends or their partners - but crucially - all without the headscarf. Most include a few words, for example: "I loathe the hijab. I too like the feel of the sun and the wind on my hair. Is this a big sin?"

A woman on the beach - one of the images of the "My Stealthy Freedom" Facebook pageImage source, Facebook/آزادی های یواشکی زنان در ایران

Ever since the Islamic Revolution 35 years ago, it has been illegal for a woman to leave the house without wearing a headscarf. The punishment ranges from a fine to imprisonment. "My hair was like a hostage to the government," says Masih Alinejad, an Iranian political journalist who lives in the UK and who set up the Facebook page. "The government still has a lot of hostages," she adds.

Alinejad got the idea after she posted some photos, external of herself without the hijab to her own Facebook page, external. The images were liked thousands of times. So many women began to send her their own pictures that she decided to set up a dedicated page. Though she's well-known for being critical of the government in Iran, she insists the page is not political. "These are not women activists, but just ordinary women talking from their hearts."

A woman without the hijab looks down to the street - one of the images of the "My Stealthy Freedom" Facebook pageImage source, Facebook/آزادی های یواشکی زنان در ایران

"My problem is not having to wear the headscarf. My problem is not having a choice," writes one woman on the Facebook page. "Stealthy freedom means, just for a few seconds, I will be what I want to be," writes another.

The hijab is a controversial issue in Iran. A recent billboard campaign, external reminding women to cover themselves up, was mocked on social media for comparing women to chocolates in a wrapper. But many support the wearing of the hijab, arguing it's an important part of Islamic law - there was a demonstration in Tehran, external last week, with protesters calling for a more strict implementation of the rules.

Reporting by Cordelia Hebblethwaite, external and Noushin Irani

Have you subscribed the BBC Trending podcast? You can do so here, external via iTunes or here

All our stories are at BBC.com/trending

Top stories

  • Progress in Gaza peace talks as Trump says 'very close to deal'

    • Published
      1 hour ago
  • Inside one battle-scarred Gaza building, displaced families tell the story of the war

    • Published
      10 hours ago
  • Conservatives would scrap stamp duty, Badenoch announces

    • Published
      4 hours ago

More to explore

  • Stars, secrets and slip-ups: Celebrity Traitors is off to a cracking start

    Alan Carr and Claudia Winkleman on the Celebrity Traitors
  • Badenoch hopes to grab attention with policy blitz

    Leader of the Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch waves at supporters as she arrives at the annual Conservative Party Conference on October 4, 2025 in Manchester, England.
  • High security a fact of life for UK Jewish community living in fear of attack

    Members of the Community Security Trust (CST) speak to a police officer at the cordon near the scene of an incident at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester
  • Why Pickford is England's undisputed number one

    • Attribution
      Sport
    England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford
  • 'One of the greatest things' - Nigeria's art innovators on display in London

    Jimoh Buraimoh, Figural Abstract 1973. Kavita Chellaram. Image courtesy of kó, Lagos © Jimoh Buraimoh
  • Dazzling supermoon illuminates skylines around the world

    The bright supermoon sitting at the tip of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
  • Dog attacks are still rising - even after the XL bully ban

    Montage image showing an XL bully dog and a demonstration by those opposing a ban on the breed
  • Romesh Ranganathan on overexposure and acting with Sheridan Smith

    Romesh Ranganathan pictured in front of a navy blue wall, looking at the camera, in March 2024
  • The Upbeat newsletter: Start your week on a high with uplifting stories delivered to your inbox

    A graphic of a wave in the colours of yellow, amber and orange against a pink sky
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Stars, secrets and slip-ups: Celebrity Traitors is off to a cracking start

  2. 2

    McCann stalker contacted Maddie's sister, court told

  3. 3

    ChatGPT image snares suspect in deadly Pacific Palisades fire

  4. 4

    Progress in Gaza peace talks as Trump says 'very close to deal'

  5. 5

    Dolly Parton posts 'I ain't dead yet' after sister sparks health concerns

  6. 6

    King Charles hopes nature film will 'inspire' viewers

  7. 7

    Conservatives would scrap stamp duty, Badenoch announces

  8. 8

    Troops cheated hearing tests, says ex-marine suing MoD

  9. 9

    Big Brother contestant removed over 'unacceptable language'

  10. 10

    Al-Shamie pledged allegiance to 'IS' in 999 call

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Rom-com starring Aimee Lou Wood and Nabhaan Rizwan

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Film Club has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Film Club
  • Exposing a pro-Russian fake news operation

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Global Eye has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Global Eye: Inside a Pro-Russian Fake News Operation
  • Leonardo DiCaprio discusses his new film

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Movies With Ali Plumb has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Movies With Ali Plumb: Leonardo DiCaprio in Conversation
  • The rise and downfall of Margaret Thatcher

    • Attribution
      iPlayer

    Added to Watchlist
    Thatcher: A Very British Revolution has been added to your iPlayer Watchlist.
    Thatcher: A Very British Revolution
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.