Afghanistan’s Next Top Model

It may be hard to believe, but filming has just begun on Afghanistan’s version of “America’s Next Top Model,” with four girls strutting (timidly) down the runway in a bid to be crowned the first Afghan supermodel. The models first wore the country’s traditional brightly-colored baggy pants and loose shawls, then changed into jeans, sandals, and lightweight tops. While hardly provocative by Western standards, to most Afghanis, who follow strict Sharia law, the outfits – and indeed the whole operation – is tantamount to heresy.

The low-budget reality show is being shot in the relatively liberal northern town of Mazar-i-Sharif, where town residents are more open to the concept. The models and producers of the show are hoping it is a sign of positive changes in this blighted country. “It is a great idea I think for Afghan girls, to encourage them to go a step forward,” said 19-year-old model Katayoun Timour. Even so, ten additional contestants dropped out when they heard international press would be there, afraid the increased exposure would mean an increased risk on their lives.

[via Reuters]