"Taleban, #Don'tTouchMyClothes"… Afghan Women Protest Traditional Dress on SNS

Upload Photos Wearing Colorful Traditional Costumes on SNS

Afghan women wearing traditional clothing.
Photo by Twitter @DrFatimaKakkar capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Recently, Afghan women have started online protests on social media against the Taliban's discriminatory policies toward women.

Afghan women are sharing photos of themselves wearing colorful traditional clothing on Twitter, along with hashtags such as '#DoNotTouchMyClothes' and '#AfghanistanCulture', conducting a resistance campaign.

This 'online resistance movement' was led by Bahar Zarali, a former history professor at the American University of Afghanistan. On the 12th, Zarali posted photos of women attending a pro-Taliban rally on her social media, stating, "There has never been a woman dressed like this in Afghan history. This is completely alien to Afghan culture."

She added, "I am posting my photo to raise awareness of Afghan traditional clothing, which is being distorted by Taliban propaganda," sharing an image of herself wearing a green dress and urging, "This is Afghan culture. Let's show the true face of Afghanistan."

In response to Professor Zarali's call, many women and men both inside and outside Afghanistan have participated. Some women posted photos wearing elaborate earrings and headpieces, dressed in vibrant traditional attire embroidered with exotic patterns. While some covered their faces, most revealed their faces.

Afghan women wearing burqas and other garments.
Photo by Yonhap News

Spozmaye Mashid, an Afghan-born human rights activist based in Virginia, USA, also posted a photo on Twitter wearing a traditional dress with red fabric embroidered with bright blue and yellow patterns. He said, "This is Afghan traditional dress. Afghan women wear colorful yet modest clothing. The black burqa is not Afghan culture."

Meanwhile, despite this resistance, the Taliban's discriminatory policies against women continue. On the 12th, the Taliban interim government's Ministry of Education announced guidelines for gender-segregated education and strict dress codes for female students.

They also ordered women attending private universities to wear the abaya (an outer garment covering the entire body except the face and hands) and the niqab. In some areas, women who went out without wearing the burqa were shot and killed by the Taliban.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.