Afghanistan Beauty Parlors as Sites of Transnational Feminist Rhetoric: A Departure from Western Rhetoric on “Parlors”

This project seeks to shed light on the beauty parlors of Afghanistan as rhetorical spaces and advocate for redefining and expanding the concept of parlor in Western rhetoric from a transnational feminist perspective. Unlike the conventional conception of beauty parlors as spaces primarily designed for beautification purposes, I propose interpreting beauty parlors in Afghanistan as arenas for conversation, confrontation, and resistance—shaped by the women in Afghanistan. Employing a transrhetorical practice—a transnational feminist strategy of reading and analyzing (Wang)—this paper argues that the Afghanistan beauty parlor serves as a transnational space for women to engage in rhetorical discourse, generate knowledge, and discuss philosophies relevant to their lived experiences. The aim of this article is to provide overdue recognition to Afghan women as transnational feminist rhetoricians who have redefined the concept of the parlor repositioning it as a dynamic space for transformative actions.