Just how far Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will go in turning back the social reforms made in recent years remains to be seen.
Mr Ahmadinejad has denied women would be forced to wear the head-to-toe chador.
On hairstyles, he said: 'Are hairstyles the real problem of [our youth]? They can cut their hair the way they want. It's none of our business.'
For human rights workers, however, recent weeks have been ominous. Two of Iran's most prominent human rights lawyers, Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi and Abdolfattah Soltani, have been targeted.
Ms Ebadi has received numerous threats from members of Iran's mainly conservative judiciary, and on July 30, Mr Soltani was arrested on dubious charges.
The arrest and threats have come from people operating under the authority of Tehran chief prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi, who is said to be close personally and ideologically to the new president.