Why I wore iron underwear on Kabul鈥檚 busiest street
Afghan artist Kubra Khademi was so enraged by the sexual harassment women faced every day, that she fought back - wearing a suit of armour with exaggerated breasts and buttocks.
Artist Kubra Khademi was so enraged by the constant sexual harassment faced by women in Afghanistan that she created a bespoke suit of armour, forged out of metal with exaggerated breasts and buttocks. The idea came from an experience she had many years earlier, as a little girl, walking along a street and encountering a male stranger who would sexually assault her - at the time she wished she was wearing "iron underwear" to protect her. In March 2015 Kubra wore her custom-made armour and decided to walk down Kabul's busiest street. The reaction to her performance was life-changing - she received death threats and was forced to flee her home.
Kubra's now living in France where she's a successful artist, recognised for her work celebrating the female body. Some of her art is currently showing at the SOAS Gallery in the exhibition (Un)Layering the future past of South Asia: Young artists' voices.
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: Kubra Khademi being leered at during her armour performance in Kabul, 2015. Credit: Naim Karim)
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