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This beauty specialist is the bread-winner of her family. Her husband
- a sports
instructor - became disabled during the recent war, and can not work
anymore.
Her oldest son is unemployed. In times before the Taliban regime (1996-2001)
beauty parlours were busy every day. These days only on Friday, when
most
weddings are celebrated and the women come for their party make up and
hair.
Many women are still reserved to visit beauty parlours, afraid for reprisals
by
former Taliban sympathizers. These are mainly young men between 20 and
30
years of age who were most influenced by the Taliban ideology. They
might have
taken off their black turbands and shaven off their beards, but in their
heads
nothing has changed yet. These sympathizers are the main reason that
still most
women in Kabul (around 75% in Spring 2003) wear a burqa when they go
out on
the street, the rest wears a chador (shawl covering head and shoulders).
Even
the beauty specialist wears a burqa to and from her beauty parlour.
Every
evening when closing her parlour, she is afraid to be confronted with
reprisals,
like being beaten up or thrown acid in her face
©
Gitta van Buuren 2003
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