14 DAY TRIAL // North Korea is known to be one of the world's strictest societies, as it is one of the few countries still under communist rule. Now, a set of new laws require all the men in the country to get the same haircut as leader Kim Jong-un.
As weird as it may sound, the government controls hairstyles and the North Korean ruler attempts to make every man in the country have the same look. So, it seems that the shaved sides and long parted top look will be widespread from now on.
Until now, everyone in North Korea could choose their hairdos from a selection of state-approved styles, but according to the new rules, all men in the country have to sport the same haircut as their supreme leader.
Although many North Koreans don't seem too excited about the idea, the new guidelines, which were introduced in the capital Pyongyang about two weeks ago, are now being extended throughout the country.
“Our leader’s haircut is very particular, if you will. It doesn’t always go with everyone since everyone has different face and head shapes,” one source told the Korea Times.
Moreover, a former Pyongyang resident now living in China, said the Kim Jong-un haircut is unpopular because it apparently resembles the style of Chinese smugglers.
“Until the mid-2000, we called it the ‘Chinese smuggler haircut,’” the source said.
However, it seems that women will still be allowed to choose from a list of 18 state-approved hairstyles. But this list is also very limited and distinguishes between married and unmarried women. The single females can choose from short, above-the-shoulder styles, while married women are allowed to wear curls and long hair.
That's not all, though. North Korean state TV even launched a campaign against long hair, called “Let us trim our hair in accordance with the Socialist lifestyle,” and put together a five-part series that explains how to maintain a hairstyle that is in line with communist values. Well, it seems that tyrants don't like long hair.
But in a state where everything is regulated and policed, the fact that hair has a politics of its own should not surprise anyone. One example that demonstrates the country's watchers' paranoia is the episode when they tried to find a politic explanation for the fact that Ri Chun-hee, the news anchor for the country's Korean Central Television, changed her hairstyle twice in two weeks in 2011.