- [Margherita] Getting your hair styled or your makeup done,
if you're a woman in Kabul,
it's still possible even with the Taliban in power.
(speaking in foreign language)
- When the Taliban took over the country
in August, beauty salons,
such as the ones you see behind me, shut down.
Many of the owners of beauty salons decided to erase
the images of women they had on their windows
to appease the Taliban, to avoid retaliation.
After a few weeks, however,
beauty salons started gradually reopening.
(speaking in foreign Language)
- [Margherita] And business is now slow
in this beauty center we visited.
Still salons are pushing to stay open
and testing what they can get away with.
In Kabul, many women are scared of venturing outdoors
on their own these days.
And those who do often dress more conservatively
than in the past.
The Taliban have a more moderate stance on women
than when they were last in power in the 1990s.
But they have imposed some restrictions,
barring most female civil servants from going to work
and cracking down on protesters marching for women's rights.
Younger girls have been allowed to go to elementary school.
Though most middle and high schools remain shut
for the time being.
Keen to obtain international recognition and aid,
the Taliban government has promised
to respect women's rights within the limits of Islam,
but many remain skeptical.
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Margherita] 25 year old Aqila Azimi who runs
a beauty salon in Kabul says she decided
to reopen and continue working despite the potential risks.
(speaking in foreign language)
Asked about beauty salons, a Taliban spokesman
told us that under their rule, women will be allowed
to get an education and work.
So far there's no indication that these shops
will be forced to shut down.
Still Aqila's business is struggling.
She says she's making just around $110 a month
down from $2,700 a year ago.
(speaking in foreign language)
- The last time they were in power in the 1990s,
the Taliban imposed harsh, strict social rules on women.
Women were barred from education and work
and could only appear in public if they were covered
from head to toe,
they had to be accompanied by a male guardian.
This time around,
the Taliban haven't yet imposed such strict social rules.
The new government is still working to formalize
those kinds of regulations.
Beauty parlors were also banned when the Taliban last ruled
and business owners like Aqila are worried that those harsh
restrictions could be reimposed.
(speaking in foreign language)