According to Iran’s dress code policy, women must wear a headscarf and loose clothing in public. Instead of succumbing to the laws, Daryaei took off her clothes and threw them at the officers as a striking act of defiance. She continued to march through campus in her underwear, unruffled and stolid. Daryaei was then shown to be forced into a car by men in plainclothes.
Her courageous stance constitutes a powerful symbol of the resilience of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement (Zan, Zendegi, Azadi in Persian) initiated in September 2022 in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. This movement demands the dismantling of systemic oppression against women that has persisted since the establishment of the theocratic Islamic Republic in 1979 led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The process of Islamisation consolidated Islamic power over almost every sphere of life and entailed methodical institutional, legal, and cultural reforms. For the Islamic endeavour to be effective, individual bodies had to be continuously monitored and subjected to many forms of discipline. Thus, the Basij, a paramilitary force was established, functioning as morality police, aiming towards ideological and moral discipline, that became a key instrument in policing women’s dress and behavior.
In this context, Daryaei was characterised as “the bravest girl in Iran” for demonstrating opposition to such a strict authoritarian system that subjugates female rights. However, some contrasting views were also voiced, such as of government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani who denoted that “Instead of viewing this issue under a security lens, we are rather looking at it with a social lens and seek to solve the problems of this student as a troubled individual". A university representative, Amir Mahjob, also stated that Daryaei was found to be "under severe mental pressure and had a mental disorder." Following her arrest, authorities transferred her to a psychiatric facility- an act the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) condemned as “kidnapping”.
Weaponising narratives of mental health in an effort to quiet women’s dissent accentuates the power of phallocratic social structures and state forces.
Notably, the practice of accusing women of mental problems in order to silence or invalidate them is deeply rooted in systemic and historical gender oppression. This phenomenon has both historical precedents, as well as modern manifestations, which impedes women's autonomy and self-expression. Weaponising narratives of mental health in an effort to quiet women’s dissent accentuates the power of phallocratic social structures and state forces.
The picture of Ahoo Daryaei standing boldly in her underwear has become a symbol of women’s resistance against oppression. Women living under oppressive regimes have no choice but to stand tall and resist. And we, who are fortunate enough to live in Western societies, have a moral duty to stand beside them, supporting their fight for freedom.
History has proven that women’s solidarity and steadfast belief in their cause give rise to substantial change.
The remnants of a fossilised system based on outdated moral frameworks of Islam affect not only the women of these countries, but also undermine global progress, eroding the foundations of hope for comprehensive justice and equality in the women’s combat for autonomy. The blood still spilled on the altar of female subjugation will not be in vain. History has proven that women’s solidarity and steadfast belief in their cause give rise to substantial change. The hope for a future of women’s freedom and justice remains alive, as long as there are courageous women like Ahoo, who march forward, with fearlessness against the forces that seek to render them invisible.