[ThePythonicCow]

The following enlargement of the above pair of pictures is attached to the above Reuters report on Yahoo news:

Sharbat Gula, who captivated audiences with her haunting green eyes when she appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985, is seen in the magazine's 1985 cover photograph (L), and today (R), 17 years later. The story of her life and how she was located after nearly two decades is featured in the April issue of National Geographic magazine. Photo by National Geographic Society/Reuters

[Publius6961]

That young woman's face is probably remembered my millions more people than any celebrity alive.
I know it would not take much for me mentally to recall that image.
Apparently it affected most viewers the same way.

[stevio]

You have to thank God our country has not fallen that far.... Yet.

[philosofy123]

I have seen this cover years ago. My problem is today, after we liberated these worthless people, the woman is still in fear of showing her face. She, and the rest of the women there are still wearing this tent over their heads. They are either stupid, or we are fooling ourselves that we did them a favor.

[Guna]

I dunno, the nose looks completely different on the other photo. It is beaked now. Nose shapes don't change that much, do they?

[robomatik]

shes 30 now. shes aged 17 years. that would make her to be 13 in the before pic. she looks like shes 60 in the 2nd one.

[Apple_Hills]

She seems to be getting nourishment. Her face looks fuller in the latter pic. If somebody hosed the dirt off her face and hit her with some Oil of Olay, she wouldn't look so old.

[oldvike]

In her pic on the left those are the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. Striking.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "I will survive."

Or at least a meaning that most Americans are unfamiliar with, as illustrated by the national hysteria generated by a few natural-causes dead bodies in an uncrematorium.

[Darth Sidious]

She doesn't look that bad. Rather attractive, actually, given the circumstances.

Instead of casting attention to her physical appearance, it seems better to thank God that after all these years she was there to be found, alive and healthy.

[Redcloak]

Here's a better version of the picture...

I remember that cover and those haunting eyes. National Geographic has used it several times since then. It's good to know that she survived the Taliban. But it's also tragic to see those years etched in a face that captivated so many for so long.