American Porn Star in Band-e Amir; Discriminatory Behavior of the Taliban Towards Afghan Women

Whitney Wright, a well-known American adult film actress, posted a video on Saturday, March 1, showing her visit to Band-e Amir, Afghanistan’s first national park in Bamyan province. This visit comes at a time when the Taliban has banned Afghan women from entering the area for the past one and a half years.

Previously, on Friday, February 28, Wright shared images of Kabul and Herat cities on her social media, depicting views from an Ariana Airlines plane, the tiled roof of a shrine in Herat, local shops (dukans), and rickshaws on the streets. However, she herself is not seen in these images. The following day, she posted a video from Band-e Amir, which garnered widespread media attention.

This comes as the Taliban has previously released images of their members interacting with Chinese female tourists in an attempt to present a “positive image” of their regime.

While the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on Afghan women, including banning education, work, and public presence, it seems to offer some privileges to foreign tourists (both male and female), indicating a systematic discrimination against Afghan women and the use of tourists to improve the Taliban’s global image.

This trip once again raises questions about the Taliban’s double standards in dealing with foreign and Afghan women. To date, no official explanation has been provided by Taliban-controlled institutions regarding this matter.