Juliette

In 2009, F told me she joined thousands of Iranians to protest the re-election of the conservative president at the time in the so-called Green Movement.

The regime cracked down on the protest, killing dozens and arresting thousands.

So then I think I realized that this is not the way.

It was clear to F that the regime was too strong.

It will not work.

It will make things worse.

She no longer saw the point in protesting.

F figured the best way to achieve change wasn't to overthrow the regime or even loudly protest it.

It was to quietly resist what she disagreed with.

And to F, that meant trying to model the Iran she wanted to live in, in her own life.

F also said she changed the words in her marriage contract to include the right to get divorced.

Years passed, and she says she did see Iranian society change.

She says male taxi drivers that used to refuse her as a customer for not wearing a hijab now don't care.

And she started to push boundaries through something she hadn't been able to explore as a kid.

Singing.

She started singing traditional Persian music.

First, she sang at home.

Then, at parties with friends.

Eventually, she started planning a solo concert, even though this was still forbidden as a woman.

And just as with her other acts of disobedience, F was pushing the boundaries without completely rebelling against the regime.