To get a haircut in North Korea must be a daunting affair for the rebellious youth in that country. Why? There’s a list of 28 approved North Korean haircuts.
Now anything that comes out of the secretive totalitarian state is of course questionable. The rest of the world usually have to rely upon the word dissidents or their arch nemesis South Korea. But that doesn’t mean that what they are telling us is wrong or misleading. Sometimes it’s true, even though it’s bizarre. There is for instance the claim that former leader Kim Jong-Il, the father of current leader Kim Jong-Un, didn’t defecate and scored an astounding 38-under par on a round of golf at his first try at the game. Most of us know that’s pure fantasy, however the state media, and even the education curriculum actually ran with those claims.
So there we have seen two examples of how ridiculous the rogue state can be. So it should come as no surprise that a regime that is so brutal and controlling would also mandate the hairstyles that can be used by its citizens. And that’s exactly what they have done. The rulers have compiled a list of 28 approved North Korean haircuts, 10 for men and 18 for women.
When did this list of approved North Korean haircuts come into law?
It is believed that the law came into affect in 2013. But it had its basis in 2005 under former leader Kim Jong-Il. It was reported that Jong-Il had attended a university soccer match and became unsettled at some of the players long hair. According to reports he called it disgusting and he couldn’t tell if he was watching a men’s soccer or women’s soccer. Apparently the following week notices were placed in workplaces banning long hair. That same year the state run media ran a five part documentary on haircut guidelines for today’s modern socialist lifestyle.
The true reasoning behind the new North Korean haircuts law will probably never be fully understood by those who experience and live in a free and democratic society. We can just be thankful that we ourselves don’t have to suffer the same overbearing control of our governments.
