When does freedom begin?

In the ridiculously long, and so moving queue for foreign nationals to get through immigration at the airport in Tehran, it began to occur to me at what point exactly do the must wear hijab rules of Iran cease to apply and everyone - sorry all women get their freedom back. Waiting at the gate for the flight to board there was a little bit of lax readjustment of falling hijabs, one younger woman had clearly given up caring, but otherwise all the other women remained veiled. However, once we crossed the threshold of having our boarding passes scanned and heading down the walk way, it was game on. This was underlined by the stewardesses who were all showing a full head of hair, likewise the single woman in first class, who had not only disposed of the veil but had stripped down to a singlet and shorts!! Which only served to confirm my suspicion that all those posters that I had seen in Iran comparing the hijab to the oyster shell that protects the pearl were fighting a losing battle.