High Fashion..... Burkas

Funny thing, when I was in the US I thought burkas were a terrible thing forced upon the wives and daughters of devout, right wing, Muslims. A woman wearing a burka was someone to feel sorry for. I even held this belief when I first arrived in Afghanistan. Driving from Bagram to Jalalabad I didn’t see many burkas. It wasn’t until I was driving through the old bazaar in Khulum that I encountered any number of burkah clad women. As we drove through the crowded bazzar there were many blue apparitions floating along. The burkas are made of very thin fabric. It has the look of silk pleated very tightly, like harem pants. Nearly all are a bright sky blue and flow in the breeze. Weather walking or simply standing these women have a spectral appearance. They are beautiful and stand out in a land dominated by shades of brown. It has forced me to rethink my opinion of this maligned garment.

I can’t pretend to agree that forcing people to dress a particular way is remotely OK. To be fair, I don’t know how many would wear a burka anyway. My host mentioned, as we drove through Samangan, that the most beautiful women in Afghanistan came from there. Who could argue when all you can see are their hands and ankles? It occurred to me that if all women wore burkas the whole concept of feminine beauty dissolves. Let’s face it, if the only woman you ever see is your wife it’s easy to accept her as the most beautiful woman in the world! Unfortunately like all things, it’s not nearly that simple. It seems odd to me, but in the land of burkas, truck drivers have pin-up posters taped to their vehicles. Can you say hypocrisy?

Well, I have yet to decide my stand on this topic. All I know for sure is that the sight of a sky blue burka flowing in the breeze is beautiful.