Three years after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, the fabric of Iranian society is shifting in ways that few could have predicted back in September 2022. The young Kurdish-Iranian woman’s passing at the hands of Iran’s morality police unleashed a wave of protests and a fierce government crackdown, but as the dust has settled, a quieter revolution has taken root—one playing out in daily life, on city streets, and in the choices of millions of women across the country. According to France 24, these changes are now seen as “irreversible” by many observers, even as Iran’s leadership clings to decades-old laws and customs.
When Ahmad returned to Iran in May 2025 after five years abroad, he was startled by what he saw at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport. His sister greeted him wearing a white blouse, her scarf loosely draped over her shoulders. His niece, standing nearby, wore no veil at all. “I wondered if I was really in Iran,” Ahmad confided to France 24. Even in this highly monitored setting, women appeared less covered than he remembered. The change wasn’t just among strangers; it was evident in his own family. His brother-in-law, once strict, now tolerates his daughter’s modern dress and social life. His older sister has swapped the traditional manto for short blazers and trousers.
These stories are echoed throughout Tehran and in provincial towns. Sociologist Azadeh Kian, director of Paris Cité University’s Centre for Teaching, Documentation and Research in Feminist Studies (CEDREF), told France 24, “Today, women are taking over public spaces as they see fit. They have won their freedom. And this movement is irreversible.”
The generational shift is especially striking for mothers like Sepideh, a 40-year-old from Tehran. She recalls her own school days after the 1989 Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war as rigid and intimidating. “Everything had to be black. White socks were out of the question. I always dreaded the day my daughter would experience the same thing.” Yet her 14-year-old attends a private school where the hooded maqnaé, once compulsory, now hangs loosely around students’ necks, and the administration turns a blind eye. “I am so happy that my daughter no longer has to go through that,” Sepideh said.
On Tehran’s public transportation, the contrast is visible: mothers in chadors sit beside daughters in T-shirts and trousers, groups of students—some veiled, some not—laugh together openly. “The police see them, sometimes make an annoyed remark, then they look away,” Sepideh observed. Kian suggests this is a deliberate relaxation by the authorities, wary of provoking another backlash from a youth population that was highly active during the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement. “This intergenerational solidarity has extended even to religious families,” Kian noted in France 24.
Yet, the legal landscape remains hostile. In December 2024, Iran’s parliament, dominated by ultra-conservatives, passed the so-called “Chastity and Hijab Law,” which imposes strict penalties on women and girls who defy the compulsory hijab. However, President Masoud Pezeshkian, a moderate, paused its implementation, calling the law “ambiguous and in need of reform.” According to Kian, this pause could not have happened without the approval of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who may be responding to mounting economic, political, and security crises—including the 12-day war with Israel in June 2025. “The Iranian state is forced to make concessions because it has been facing crises on all fronts,” Kian explained.
Still, the “policy of intimidation” hasn’t vanished. Women’s rights activists continue to face arrest, even as some—like Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi and Sepideh Gholian—have been released on temporary leave. “They continue to live with a Damocles sword hanging over their heads,” Kian said. The civil code, meanwhile, remains untouchable: women still inherit half as much as men and have limited rights in divorce and child custody. “The regime’s last bastion is this civil code. They won’t touch that,” Kian insisted.
Despite these legal barriers, Iranian society is forging ahead. Sepideh enjoys observing the bold fashion choices of young women in Tehran’s affluent neighborhoods: “Colorful shirts over crop tops, long skirts, hair dyed blue, red, or purple… They seem at ease and women my age compliment them.” She herself now leaves her headscarf in her bag during her commute, only putting it on at work. “I think [men] have got used to it,” she said, admitting that she once feared harassment but now feels safe, even without a veil.
Darya*, another Tehran resident, credits Generation Z for emboldening older women. “The bravery of Generation Z has given us courage,” she told France 24. For her, the seeds of change were planted during former president Mohammed Khatami’s era, but the death of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent protests accelerated the trend. “I never wore the veil outside again, even in more traditional places, such as mourning ceremonies. I am not prepared to make concessions,” she declared.
This transformation isn’t limited to fashion. Mixed singing and dance classes, though technically prohibited, are becoming more common. More women are seen riding motorcycles in public, despite being denied licenses since 1979. The movement has spread beyond Tehran, reaching provincial cities and even conservative suburbs, where attitudes have softened and overt criticism has faded.
Yet, the political context remains fraught. On September 16, 2025, the Iranian government condemned the United States for what it called “hypocritical and deceitful” remarks marking the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death. According to Reuters, Iran’s foreign ministry accused Washington of decades of crimes and subversion, citing the 1953 CIA-backed coup, U.S. support for Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war, the 1988 downing of an Iranian passenger jet, years of sanctions, and recent attacks on nuclear sites. “No rational and patriotic Iranian would ever believe the claim of friendship and sympathy by a regime with a long history of meddling in Iran’s affairs and committing crimes against Iranians,” the ministry stated, vowing that Iranians “will never forget or forgive” America’s actions.
The U.S. State Department, for its part, reiterated its support for the Iranian people, stating it “stands with the people of Iran in their calls for dignity and a better life.” The statement added, “Mahsa’s name will never be forgotten,” and accused Iran’s rulers of “crimes against humanity.” The U.S. also criticized Tehran for “squandering wealth on exporting ideology abroad while leaving citizens to endure shortages of water and electricity, poverty, and crumbling infrastructure.”
As the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death passes, Iran stands at a crossroads. The regime’s grip on the law remains tight, but society—especially its women—has moved on. They are forging new paths, taking risks, and shaping a future that looks ever more different from the past, with the echoes of “Woman, Life, Freedom” still ringing in the air.