&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Botox under burqas, unlikely boom of cosmetic surgery in Taliban conservatism")
An unusual trend is being observed in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to reports, cosmetic surgery facilities are becoming increasingly popular in an orthodox Taliban-ruled state. Approximately 20 clinics have popped up in Kabul offering procedures like Botox, facelifts, and hair transplants. These clinics feature luxurious design elements like velvet sofas and crystal chandeliers, which create an environment unlikely to be appreciated under the Taliban authorities.
In July 2023, the Taliban imposed a nationwide ban on beauty parlours, giving owners one month to close their businesses. When the bans were being imposed, there were approximately 12,000–13,000 beauty parlours available in Kabul. According to reports by the UN and Afghan women’s groups, these salons were one of the few remaining sources of income and social space for Afghan women.
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However, despite the Taliban conservatism, something around 20 clinics have flourished. Doctors from foreign countries like Turkey have travelled to Kabul to train Afghans. Professionals have claimed that these procedures are permitted under medical treatment without any intervention from the Taliban authorities.
The clientele is diverse, encompassing both men and women. Men are often there to address their thinning hairline. However, the majority are women who are mostly covered in traditional burqas.
25-year-old Silsila Hamidi is getting another facelift, as she is stressed from being a woman in Afghanistan, and her face had started to sag. "Even if others can't see us, we see ourselves: looking beautiful in the mirror gives us energy," said Hamidi.
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In a country where the majority live in poverty, such procedures are being conducted under the medical treatment and cost between $43 and $87 for Botox treatments, and hair implants costing $260 to $509.
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Salons banned, but not Botox
Even though women can't travel long distances without a male guardian, can't speak loudly, can't visit universities, parks and gyms, surgical cosmetic procedures are booming. The hair salons, which provided a much-needed social space for working-class women, have withered away under the guise of immorality. A new breed of wealthy, influential Afghan women and men use these services.
Since the Taliban has ordered men to grow beards at least fist length, transplants have become fashionable, said Bilal Khan, co-director of the EuroAsia clinic. He is about to open his second clinic.
These are private, regulated, and behind closed-door clinics which do not attract ideological contradiction. The rise of social media influencers has also played a role in popularising cosmetic procedures. Many patients being swayed by social media seek surgeries even though they do not have any medical requirements. Showing a stark shift in societal values for a country, half of which is in abject poverty.
