The image of hijab during the second Pahlavi era (specifically in the 1960s and 1970s) and its comparison with the present time has become a central point of political, cultural, and social contention in contemporary Iran. This study, drawing on data from social history—including memoirs, autobiographies, and oral narratives—aims to provide a detailed and in-depth account of this image and analyze its transformations up to the threshold of the Islamic Revolution.
The methodological framework of this research is based on grounded theory, through which public perceptions of hijab and the regulatory mechanisms of formal power have been identified and described. Key findings of the study include documentation of the social distress and harassment faced by women adhering to traditional and religious forms of hijab during that period; the categorization of social hijab types influenced by policies of state and cultural shifts; and the emergence of Conscious hijab on the eve of the 1979 Revolution as an indicator of transformation in the public sphere.
The study classifies the dominant forms of female attire in the two decades under review, including traditional chador, rural clothing, simple unveiled styles, modest mantou-style hijab, the modern urban "Zan-e Rooz" look, and revolutionary hijab. Ultimately, the research emphasizes the "new image of hijab at the revolutionary moment"—a form of veiling that not only alleviated the societal burdens associated with religious dress but also evolved into a virtuous, rational, and modern norm, accompanied by a sense of empowerment and success.