[QODLink]
Witness
Looking Good
The 'burqa' is a common sight in Afghanistan - but there is a lot behind the veil.
Last Modified: 15 Jun 2009 14:49 GMT

Watch part two

Filmmaker: Ruhi Hamid

With the Taliban gone, the anonymous blue veil remains a common sight on Afghanistan's uneasy streets - but with the make up underneath: anything goes. Humera beauty salon is in Kabul's blossoming beauty district. The salon's director, Nadia Husseini, worked in Pakistan during the Taliban but now she is happy to be running a thriving business in Kabul.

Friday is a busy day in the salon, with women wanting to look their best at the start of society's wedding season. Customers come in and out all day, with scarcely time for the beauticians to take a tea break.

Pikai Asghari is hosting her nephew's engagement party that evening and her in-laws are coming to stay – the eponymous blue burka provides the perfect cover for Pikai's gradual transformation – she’s able to dash home to prepare the feast with her hair still in curlers.

Source:
Al Jazeera
Featured on Al Jazeera
An unflinching portrait of physical labour in the 21st century.
The stark choice between a fascist or an imperialist course in Syria should be discarded for a third and better course.
Israel's propaganda machine carefully chooses its words to assert illegal ownership over Jerusalem and Palestine.
As Western fears grow over Iran's continuing nuclear programme, we ask how a military strike could impact the region.
<  > 
join our mailing list

Enter Zip Code
Go