A photo that captures the bravery of Iran’s women

This photograph might look as if it were pulled from a fashion magazine. But for people who know the history of Iran since the founding of the Islamic republic in 1979, it is astounding. Many public spaces in Iran are segregated by gender, but public transportation is perhaps the most visible example: Women are forced to use the back of the bus.

This woman stands confidently bareheaded at the front of that section, just behind the men. Two other women wearing the hijab stare at her with seeming disapproval — a reminder, perhaps, that not all women in Iran support the current defiance against the hijab laws..