Mannequins with covered faces displayed in Kabul stores under new Taliban directives
Afghanistan (Staff Reporter):Faceless Mannequins Display Dresses as Taliban Reinforces Strict Islamic Guidelines. In Kabul, store owners have been instructed by the morality police to cover the faces of mannequins and remove images of models, according to a local clothing vendor. Although one shopkeeper, a 22-year-old, admitted that this makes the displays less visually appealing, he noted that it hasn’t had an impact on their sales.
Following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, they enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic law, which includes a ban on the depiction of human faces in public spaces.
The setting must adhere to Islamic principles,” remarked a Kabul shopkeeper, who requested anonymity due to concerns about potential backlash.
Women’s evening gowns, often vibrant in color and adorned with sequins, may feature designs that reveal shoulders or have deep necklines. However, these outfits are intended to be worn only in private settings, such as gender-segregated weddings or engagement parties.
The mannequins displaying these dresses have their heads covered with plastic, foil, or black bags.
The shopkeeper speculated that the authorities might eventually require the mannequins’ arms to be covered in plastic as well.
In other stores, traditional Afghan wedding dresses with voluminous skirts and detailed embroidery are on display.
The Taliban has mandated that women must fully cover themselves in public. Women seen shopping in Kabul’s markets were dressed in abayas and had their faces covered with medical masks.
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Since the introduction of the ban on depicting human faces in January 2022, religious police in Herat enforced the rule by decapitating mannequins, snapping off their heads.
This regulation is now being applied nationwide by teams from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, who regularly inspect stores in Kabul, often dressed in long white coats.
In a multi-story shopping center in Kabul, most mannequins now have their heads covered with plastic bags or wrapped in foil.
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