By: Ellaha Rasa
A 29-year-old model in Herat is protesting against the restrictions on her life using the medium she knows best – with creative and beautiful art of herself, but it’s a risky and possibly deadly undertaking under Taliban rule.
In the latest photo that Niayesh* published on social media, she is wearing a stark black dress, her dark long hair is exposed, and her eyes are covered with the blue gauze cut from the burqa, which is hanging beside her, a gaping hole in place of the gauze.
“I have a lot of passion for modeling and I love my work,” Niayesh says. She seems undeterred by the threats she faces. “I have no fear. No person or group is allowed to hinder women’s education and work. Women have equal rights with men and should live according to their own will.”
In an interview with Rukhshana Media, Niayesh explains her latest photo is a subtle protest against the Taliban and the Taliban’s perspective that relegates women to a subhuman or lesser status than men in Afghanistan.
Born in Iran, Niayesh returned to Herat with her family when the Taliban was ousted in 2001 by the American invasion of Afghanistan. In the following 20 years, as the Taliban waged war against the US-backed Afghan government, Niayesh attended school and studied English literature at Herat University. She would sometimes model as a hobby.
But in 2021, as it became clear the Taliban would seize power again, Niayesh made a difficult but defiant decision to stay in Afghanistan. And three months ago, she took that a step further – she decided to commit to modeling under the shadow of the Taliban.
Niayesh admits she had dreamed of being a model since childhood, but had not dared to try out of fear of the conservative culture she grew up in. She says she had believed from her upbringing that it was “inappropriate” for a girl to model.
But when the Taliban returned to power and began removing fundamental rights from women, Niayesh says she decided to stop caring about people’s judgment of social norms.
Her main goal is not to make money, but to change the perspective of other women. “I want girls to think they are not limited by the arrival of the Taliban and to not be thinking they cannot do anything,” she says. “Girls shouldn’t be thinking about how everyone will judge them. I try my best to encourage other girls to model and I hope to achieve this.”
When she first told her family about her decision to start modeling, Niayesh thought they wouldn’t accept it. “I live in an environment where families are strict about girls and women. I told my family about wanting to pursue modeling with extreme fear of them. I thought that they would not accept it easily,” she says. “But surprisingly, my family supported me and continues to do so.”
Niayesh acknowledges that for all her defiance, she is not brazenly taking risks. She keeps the modeling simple – taking pictures of herself and the clothes she advertises mostly against a non-identifiable white wall background or a room in her house. While this means there is no variety in her backdrops, Niayesh feels she it would be too risky to go outside for a photo shoot. “I know very well that the background of the photo should not be repeated so often, but I have to do this,” she says. “So the background of my modeling photos is always white!”
Niayesh would love to use Herat as her stage with its rich natural beauty and striking historical monuments, but she says this opportunity has been taken from her, and from all women, by the Taliban’s rules.
Using videos posted on YouTube by other models, Niayesh studies more about the modeling craft and how to improve her photos published to social media platforms. She hopes one day girls will look up to her in the way she looks up to the models she learns from, despite having the least possible means. “I spend a lot of time on social media and YouTube – my goal is to make a career out of modeling,” she says. “I want to get to know more and more and improve my knowledge. I can’t claim to be a professional, because I am still an amateur, but I’m trying to learn and I’m sure I’ll get better day by day.”
Most of the time, Niayesh says she models for clothing companies without getting paid. She wears their clothes and takes pictures of herself to post to social media platforms. She doesn’t mind the lack of income because she sees her effort also as a protest against the Taliban’s policies and beliefs about women.
“This life is our own, there is no need for anyone to tell us what to do and what not to do,” she adds.
Although Niayesh is also a qualified English teacher, she is focused on making modeling her main profession. She collaborates with clothing designers, especially those who design “Gand-e-Afghani” or Afghan traditional dress and seeks to promote local designs and fashion as much as possible.
Even before the Taliban returned to power and cracked down on women’s freedom, some extremist religious scholars had voiced opposition to modeling. Niayesh sees this as the reason only a small cohort of women worked as models for designers and tailors in Herat. But now that the Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan and made it illegal to not abide by their beliefs, the number of women modeling is extremely low. Niayesh says there’s only a handful of girls and women she knows of who still model on social media.
Currently, she hides her modeling identity from most people, with only her family and a select few knowing who it is behind her photos. “Modeling in Afghanistan is very difficult. If you want to show your face without a hijab, people consider that a dishonor or defect. It’s considered a great shame,” she says.
In more traditional Afghan communities, family expectations and authority adhere to strict social and religious beliefs that are opposed to women being seen by non-related males. It has meant modeling was often met with severe judgment. However, several modeling and casting agencies still operated in Afghanistan prior to the Taliban rule. Since August 2021, most of these have disappeared and many models have left the country or are no longer working.
Niayesh has a dream of one day seeing her photo displayed on big advertising banners in the middle of Herat city. It’s a dream that feels impossible under the current circumstances, but she has taken the first step towards it all the same. “Even now, I am very happy that I have not given up on my dream and I have turned to the profession of modeling,” she says. “In these difficult days, this is the only strength of my heart.”
Niayesh says she will stay in Afghanistan and await the time when “the good days” will return.
*Niayesh is a pseudonym at the subject’s request.
