Chador in, hijab out: Iran’s Harvard alumni VP Joneidi's wardrobe gets flak

Tehran: Laaya Joneidi is just a couple of weeks into her appointment as Iranian vice-president.

But her decision to abandon her headscarf and fashion style for the all-encompassing black chador is raising new questions among women in the Islamic Republic.

Joneidi says President Hassan Rouhani personally asked her to wear the Muslim women's more conservative garment. Some even question the moderate cleric's campaign promise to bring more women into the government.

The controversy began when a government website posted a photograph of Joneidi, who earned a doctorate from Harvard in comparative law and international commercial arbitration, wearing the long black chador, exposing only her face.

Social media exploded with posts referring to her as a "chadori."