Amid the hardships and uncertainties of life in Kabul these days, beauty salons, once banned by the Taliban, have re-emerged as sanctuaries for Afghan women. For many, the salon experience is therapeutic. [custom_adv] “Women suffer the worst psychological, emotional and mental effects of this war for many reasons, so starting with small achievable steps, like making them feel pretty, at least creates some positive energy and sets the stage to work on deeper issues,” said Rima Kohli, a Kabul-based researcher studying Afghan women’s emotions before and after a makeover. Thursdays tend to be the busiest day at salons, which are found in just about every Kabul neighborhood. That’s because most weddings tend to be held on Thursdays. Nuptials these days can be a vehicle for the display of family wealth. Thus men and women alike tend to splurge on suits and gowns and all sorts of accoutrements imported from Dubai. And for women, there’s also a lot of attention paid to make-up and hairstyles. On any given Thursday, salons hum with activity. It’s not unusual to see burqa-covered women alight from cars and duck behind doors plastered with photographs of comely brides. The salons are strictly out of bounds for the prying eyes of Afghan males. Hwo male friends and I had negotiated a visit to photograph Mina, an Afghan woman in her late 30s as she prepared for a wedding she would attend that evening.Mina is a single mother who lives in a ramshackle structure in West Kabul, an area heavily damaged during the civil warfare of the 1990s. TOn a normal day, she wakes up at 6 a.m., sends her children to school, then catches a crowded minibus that rattles its way to central Kabul. She walks for about 20 minutes along streets shimmering with traffic and dust before arriving at the Shar-i Naw District whose wide roads and semblance of tarmac hint at wealth. Inside, she relaxes at the sight of the pink walls and decorative plastic flowerpots. A little box containing varies shades of rouge lies next to the mirror that reflects Mina’s dress – a revealing, strappy green number studded with golden buttons and mock green emeralds. “Women suffer the worst psychological, emotional and mental effects of this war for many reasons, so starting with small achievable steps, like making them feel pretty, at least creates some positive energy and sets the stage to work on deeper issues,” said Rima Kohli, a Kabul-based researcher studying Afghan women’s emotions before and after a makeover. Thursdays tend to be the busiest day at salons, which are found in just about every Kabul neighborhood. That’s because most weddings tend to be held on Thursdays. Nuptials these days can be a vehicle for the display of family wealth. Thus men and women alike tend to splurge on suits and gowns and all sorts of accoutrements imported from Dubai. And for women, there’s also a lot of attention paid to make-up and hairstyles. “Women suffer the worst psychological, emotional and mental effects of this war for many reasons, so starting with small achievable steps, like making them feel pretty, at least creates some positive energy and sets the stage to work on deeper issues,” said Rima Kohli, a Kabul-based researcher studying Afghan women’s emotions before and after a makeover. Thursdays tend to be the busiest day at salons, which are found in just about every Kabul neighborhood. That’s because most weddings tend to be held on Thursdays. Nuptials these days can be a vehicle for the display of family wealth. Thus men and women alike tend to splurge on suits and gowns and all sorts of accoutrements imported from Dubai. And for women, there’s also a lot of attention paid to make-up and hairstyles. “Women suffer the worst psychological, emotional and mental effects of this war for many reasons, so starting with small achievable steps, like making them feel pretty, at least creates some positive energy and sets the stage to work on deeper issues,” said Rima Kohli, a Kabul-based researcher studying Afghan women’s emotions before and after a makeover. Thursdays tend to be the busiest day at salons, which are found in just about every Kabul neighborhood. That’s because most weddings tend to be held on Thursdays. Nuptials these days can be a vehicle for the display of family wealth. Thus men and women alike tend to splurge on suits and gowns and all sorts of accoutrements imported from Dubai. And for women, there’s also a lot of attention paid to make-up and hairstyles. “Women suffer the worst psychological, emotional and mental effects of this war for many reasons, so starting with small achievable steps, like making them feel pretty, at least creates some positive energy and sets the stage to work on deeper issues,” said Rima Kohli, a Kabul-based researcher studying Afghan women’s emotions before and after a makeover. Thursdays tend to be the busiest day at salons, which are found in just about every Kabul neighborhood. That’s because most weddings tend to be held on Thursdays. Nuptials these days can be a vehicle for the display of family wealth. Thus men and women alike tend to splurge on suits and gowns and all sorts of accoutrements imported from Dubai. And for women, there’s also a lot of attention paid to make-up and hairstyles. At a house rented by persians, she serves breakfast, cleans the floors and prepares lunch before returning home to look after her own children.For Mina, attending a wedding offers a rare break from a dreary routine. The feast gives her an excuse to enter the glittering world of the beauty salon, even entertaining Cinderella-like daydreams. “Women suffer the worst psychological, emotional and mental effects of this war for many reasons, so starting with small achievable steps, like making them feel pretty, at least creates some positive energy and sets the stage to work on deeper issues,” said Rima Kohli, a Kabul-based researcher studying Afghan women’s emotions before and after a makeover. Thursdays tend to be the busiest day at salons, which are found in just about every Kabul neighborhood. That’s because most weddings tend to be held on Thursdays. Nuptials these days can be a vehicle for the display of family wealth. Thus men and women alike tend to splurge on suits and gowns and all sorts of accoutrements imported from Dubai. And for women, there’s also a lot of attention paid to make-up and hairstyles. At a house rented by persians, she serves breakfast, cleans the floors and prepares lunch before returning home to look after her own children.For Mina, attending a wedding offers a rare break from a dreary routine. The feast gives her an excuse to enter the glittering world of the beauty salon, even entertaining Cinderella-like daydreams.
