North Korean students forced to get Kim Jong-Un’s haircut
The short-back-and-sides trend of men’s haircutting shows no sign of abating with reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has made his haircut compulsory for all male students.
North Korean citizens previously had the choice of several government-approved haircuts, with 10 options for men and 18 for women, according to Want China Times.
Now, that list has been narrowed to only one style for young men, reports Radio Free Asia.
The “Dear Leader” haircut involves an undercut with a floppy top and a middle part and is a contrast to former leader Kim Jong-Il’s signature bouffant.
Female students are also being encouraged to keep their hair short like first lady Ri Sol Ju’s.
However, recent visitors to the isolated state have dismissed the reports as bogus.
“I am pretty sure that this is just stupid, everyone had typical haircuts last week,” Andray Abraham, the Executive Director of a Singapore-based NGO, told NK News.
Regardless, this isn’t the first time reports have emerged regarding the country’s strict hair decrees.
The BBC reports that a previous state television campaign discouraged citizens from having long hair, declaring “Let us trim our hair in accordance with the Socialist lifestyle”.