A walk in the park – a moment so iconic it’s become a cliché.

But for women in Iran, the freedom to walk outside enjoying the sun on their hair is anything but.

The country has opened a series of women-only parks, where women can take off the mandatory long coats and headscarves they must wear outside. There, they are free to exercise, dance, and play with their children.

“We hate the headscarf,” a retired nurse told The Guardian. “We are so happy to be able to go to a place where we can walk around uncovered, do sports, and sunbathe.”

Parks like Mother’s Paradise in Tehran are not without critics: Conservatives are concerned women will become “confused” if there is a place where they can walk uncovered. And feminists say the parks, policed by female guards, are yet another way to isolate women and keep them hidden.

There are also practical concerns: A lack of changing facilities and a prohibition on boys over age 5 complicate things for the moms for whom the parks are explicitly designed.

But, as one expert says, the parks offer religiously conservative women a taste of something they otherwise would not have: freedom. And that is a breath of fresh air.