Social and Psychological Aspects

“Just Say No” to Compulsory Hijab: Exploring the Motivations and Meanings of Bad-Hijabi in Iran

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Abstract

According to Iranian law, wearing hijab is mandatory for every woman in the country. However, while some women adhere to the country’s strict guidelines and cover much of the hair and body in public, others wear hijab only to the extent that they avoid breaking the law, a practice known as bad-hijabi. Recent studies have explored Iranian women’s perspectives on compulsory hijab, and particularly their willingness to protest hijab through their social media activities. However, few studies have focused on bad-hijabi as a form of resistance to hijab. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the topic of bad-hijabi from the perspective of Iranian women through the conceptual lens of compensatory consumption and symbolic self-completion theories. Interview was used as the method of data collection and the thematic interpretation of the data revealed that participants engage in bad-hijabi to represent a more realistic picture of their true selves.

Keywords: compulsory hijab, Iran, bad-hijabi, symbolic self-completion, compensatory consumption

How to Cite:

Bayat, F. & Hodges, N. J., (2022) ““Just Say No” to Compulsory Hijab: Exploring the Motivations and Meanings of Bad-Hijabi in Iran”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 78(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.13284