Five years after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, life in Kabul is a mix of public defiance and private fear. The regime has brought back many of the restrictions it imposed in the 1990s, but Afghans are finding ways to push back against them.
NPR’s D. Parvaz visited Kabul to document how the city’s residents are living with the new rules. The picture she paints is one of quiet resistance, with women dressing in ways that defy official guidance and beauty salons operating underground.
The Hijab Rules
One of the most noticeable changes concerns the mandatory hijab, which requires women to cover their faces when they go out in public. Men and women are restricted in how they can socialize together as well. During the 1990s, the Taliban went even further by painting house windows black, a measure that kept women living inside from being seen by passers-by on the street.
The way enforcement now appears has changed. On TV, women turn up across all sorts of programming while wearing a mask meant for illness instead of a full-face covering. The show “Victor Azmoon” takes a game show format, with women contestants and a host, sponsored by an energy drink.
Women Walking Alone
In the city streets, women tend to dress more freely than they do in the country’s stricter towns. One woman spoke with Parvaz about her own experience, saying she walked alone through central Kabul in a robe, or chapan, that was shorter than the norm, with her ankles exposed. She wore flame-red flats and carried herself with assurance.
“As much as I can, I will go without a mask. As much as I can, I will have a voice. And I like to be seen.”
A woman refused to give her name, worried about the Taliban striking back at her. Her words were those of someone who saw her actions as a form of resistance, and she believed they would eventually lead to change.
Beauty Salons Go Underground
Beauty businesses faced an early crackdown from the Taliban. In 2023, they commanded the closing of roughly 3,000 salons in Kabul and 12,000 across the country, citing that the businesses were un-Islamic. From that point, salons have operated in secret.
The Taliban still run advertisements online, even though their addresses remain concealed. A beautician spoke with Parvaz about operating a secret salon from her home, where the authorities continually threaten to close down these kinds of enterprises. She described the work as perilous, explaining that she must conceal her clients as they enter and leave to avoid drawing notice.
Movie Theaters Shut Down
Television still carries films from Iran, Pakistan and India even as movie theaters sit shut. Men and women may not date, yet courtship goes on without hiding. This contradiction shows plainly: rules stand firm, yet people manage to bend them.
Certain restrictions apply to men as well. They are barred from adopting certain Western hairstyles, such as fades, and they cannot wear tight shirts or shorts that expose their knees. Some Afghan men are grappling with concepts of masculinity, which has given rise to a trend the report refers to as looksmaxxing.
Gyms and Steroids
On Instagram, young Afghan men are uploading pictures of themselves exercising, ruffling their hair or posing to show off their jaw lines. The trend has caught on among men, including members of the Taliban, who are now spending more time in gyms. Supplements and steroids are gaining popularity, while gym advertisements feature headless bodies with bare, veiny, muscular torsos dressed in tiny forbidden shorts.
Playboy recently ran a piece by Ali Latifi, a Kabul-based freelance journalist, who noted a common thread running through the city’s many gyms and underground medi spas.
“I think everything these guys said is, you know, the same things that someone in Doha or Istanbul or Karachi or a San Francisco would say.”
Hope for Gradual Change
Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer on civil society, spoke with Parvaz about the possibility of gradual change. Some Afghans share that view. Latifi added that certain spaces for such activities continue to exist, despite many predictions that they would vanish.
“These gyms, these cafes and restaurants and stores were all things that we thought would go away.”
But that didn’t happen. “This time, the people didn’t give in.”
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Taliban regain power | 2021 |
| Salon closures ordered | 2023 |
That contradiction is present in every public square and concealed salon.
Source material: “Life in Kabul 5 years after the Taliban's return,” NPR.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.