03/27/2021
In the 1920s, in a failed attempt, king Amanullah was the first Afghan ruler who imposed new dress codes in Kabul. Upon return from his world tour in 1928, he demanded that Afghan men wear Western- Style suits and hats in government precincts of Kabul. Also, he pushed to end the seclusion of women and abolish the veil as part of his social reforms. Traditional Afghan society opposed the king’s reformist ideas, particularly those related to women’s rights, leading to uprisings that forced him to abdicate. The right to choose what kind of clothes to wear is considered one of the basic human freedoms today. There is a relation between what we wear and what kind of person we are. Like any other thing, clothing and fashion for both women and men in Afghanistan are influenced more by frequent changes in political regimes and types of governments and its consequences rather than changes in fashion trends. Different types of governments and regimes each following a different ideology imposed or promoted a variety of dress codes and fashions to Afghan urbanites. A major shift in fashion happened during the rule of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (1978 to 1992) and invasion of Afghanistan by the Red Army (1979 – 1989). The government undertook a series of social reforms including mandatory enrollment of boys and girls up to secondary school. Veils became voluntary, the participation of women increased considerably in politics, civil service, education, music, art, cinema, and other sectors. With the increased participation of women and girls in social life and aid flowing from the USSR as well as development in arts and cinema, fashion and clothing evolved rapidly to the extent that women and girls started wearing skirts and men started western outfits and adopting hairstyles mimicking The Beatles in Kabul. These changes were, however, restricted to Kabul and mostly employed women and men in the government, party members, students, and artists who adopted the changes. 🇦🇫
