HETHER they call it "observing purdah" or "hijab," the meaning is the same: a traditional Muslim woman's obligation to hide her physical beauty from men to whom she is not related. But there are many interpretations of what is required among the Afghan refugees now living in Pakistan.

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, they tried to impose a uniform standard: the head-to-toe covering called the burqa, a swirl of colored fabric that covers everything except a woman's eyes, erasing not just her allure but her individuality.

Aftab Ahmed Butt, who owns three women's clothing shops in Peshawar, Pakistan, summed up the argument for strictness: "Women should wear proper purdah with only their eyes showing. They should wear gloves and socks. Women not wearing purdah are wrong because males will be attracted to them. In your Western clothes your beauty, your dignity, would vanish. Women can wear makeup and Western clothes, but just for her husband."

But in the streets near his shops, Afghan women observe purdah or hijab (Urdu and Farsi words, respectively, that mean "covering") in many ways.

Some keep the burqa while others use a large shawl that they call a chador, wearing it worn over loose clothing. (This is not the chador worn in Iran, which covers a woman completely.) The chadors vary in size, color and the way in which women wrap themselves, depending on the wearer's thoughts about hijab itself.

A few rebel still further. "Purdah was the oppression of the Taliban who forced us to wear these things and I left them behind in Kabul," said a recent arrival. Her blue eyes flashed defiantly from below a small, light, white scarf. But she dared not give her name.

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"Every Pakistani woman wears a chador so I am supposed to wear it. I'm working, so I can't afford to wear a burqa. If I did, the mohajirs [refugees] would tease me because the burqa is for "good" women who stay inside the home. I face a lot of hurdles and problems. Men offer me money to go with them for the night."

NOOREEN, vendor of bracelets in a Peshawar street market.

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"Because we are Muslims we should have a hijab. Some say only their hair should not be seen, some will wear a veil over their face and some will wear the burqa. It depends on each family how they do it. The disadvantage is the hot weather. I want to be in the house in the summer, where I don't have to wear it, but I think there are more advantages than disadvantages. Islam does not say you MUST wear it. Islam shows you the way and if you agree, you wear it."

LIDA, 16, student of medicine at Afghan University in Peshawar.