Iranian women slowly surfing through 'dress code', keeping "Women Life Freedom" movement alive

London: Seven months after the “Women Life Freedom” campaign started in Iran, there is still widespread resistance to wearing the headscarf in public, and many women are still sharing their experiences on social media.

Ava, a musician in her mid-20s who lives in Tehran, spoke to ABC News on the condition of anonymity so she could discuss the movement in her own words.

“I will never forget the epic feeling I had the day I went out with my friend and saw how we, women, have conquered the city with our bodies, with our hair in the wind,” Ava said.

“Our very presence in the streets, in my opinion, constitutes a form of resistance. The way we live our daily lives is an element of our revolution,” she continued.

Hardline supporters of the Islamic Republic regime have been preparing for harsh retaliation against the resistance movement in the meantime.

The leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered authorities to devise strategies for the “issue” in a speech to Iran’s senior officials on Tuesday.

He claimed that removing the hijab is a “plot” created by “the enemy” and is “haram based on Sharia and also politically.”

Following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who was arrested by the morality police for improperly donning a hijab and brought into detention, protests started last October.

In the ensuing protests, at least 22,000 people were detained nationwide, and Iran Human Rights alleged that the regime has killed at least 537 individuals since the protests began.

The leader’s address came after some videos of the regime’s hardline supporters went viral in which they made it plain that they would “take spontaneous action” if officials failed to show they could counter the freedom movement.

Threats like these have resulted in occurrences like acid attacks against women who have not fully complied with the laws requiring the hijab over the past ten years.

One day following the leader’s speech, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, a speaker for the Iranian parliament, assured hardline followers that any bills or proposals regarding the hijab would be given priority, saying, “The order given by his excellency is clear.”

According to a March 26 report by the unofficial Jamaran News Agency, legislator Hosein Jalali has outlined a plan of action.

He said during a press conference that women who disobey the need to cover their heads with the hijab could face fines of up to $60,000 as well as additional penalties including losing their driver’s licences and passports.

However, concerns about the implementation of these measures haven’t really caught on with many Iranians up to this point.

“I ignore what they have to say. Politics and religion must support life in order to succeed; else, they will fail. There has been a decline in the widespread terror that once existed” Ava stated.

“We are getting ready to go on. The “woman, life, freedom” movement has received varying degrees of acceptance even in smaller communities.

While overthrowing the regime is Zahra’s “ultimate demand and goal,” the 47-year-old housewife from a conservative area of Isfahan told ABC News that people value the accomplishments of protesters’ “big sacrifices.”

“My elderly mother has made the decision to stop donning the chador, a lengthy black veil. She now thinks that by choosing not to wear it, she can normalise the decision made by her nieces and grandchildren to stop wearing the hijab completely,” according to Zahra.

“We are aware that achieving economic and social freedom and wellbeing still requires much work. But my deeply devout mother wants to encourage our daughters’ choice of attire. It is a significant difference thus far, she continued.

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