Beauty salons appeared in Kabul and other Afghan cities after the fall of the first Taliban regime in late 2001, offering their services to the country’s women – Afghan and foreign nationals alike.

After the Taliban came back to power and the “exile” of women, many institutes remained open, with their signs and windows covered, offering some women work and services to their clients.

Today, the Taliban government ordered the permanent closure of beauty salons within a month, further limiting women’s access to public life.

“The deadline for the closure of beauty salons is one month,” said Mohammad Sadiq Akif, spokesman for the Ministry of Moral Protection and Promotion of Virtue.

Foreign governments and UN officials have condemned the Taliban’s increasing restrictions on women since they seized power in 2021.

The presence of women is prohibited in many public places, such as baths, gyms and parks, while even female dolls in shop windows must have their heads cut or covered.

Last year, Afghan authorities closed most girls’ high schools, barred women from university and from working in aid organizations.