Pyongyang, North Korea | By Michael Wandati | North Korea has expanded its list of banned fashion items to include the “rooster hairstyle” and blouses with see-through sleeves, citing concerns that such styles “obscure the image of a socialist system,” according to sources within the country.
Those found violating these new regulations could face up to six months of labor as punishment, sources told this publication.
The details of these restrictions were conveyed through a video lecture shown to citizens, where individuals caught with prohibited hairstyles were reportedly forced to shave their heads, a resident from the northeastern province of North Hamgyong disclosed to this publication under anonymity for security reasons.
These new prohibitions are the latest in a series of crackdowns on the fashion choices of North Korean citizens, adding to an already extensive list of banned clothing items.
This list includes sleeveless shirts, jeans, hair dye, uncreased pants, T-shirts with foreign lettering, shoulder bags, and specific restrictions for women, such as prohibiting hair that falls below the waist, shorts, and figure-hugging tops.
Many of these banned items are styles commonly seen in South Korea or other capitalist nations and can be criminalized under North Korea’s strict Rejection of Reactionary Thought and Culture Law, which seeks to eliminate influences deemed capitalist or anti-socialist.
Additionally, the latest round of bans appears to be aimed at preventing citizens from emulating the style of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and those in his inner circle. Individuals sporting hairstyles, wide-legged pants, or the iconic leather trenchcoat look associated with Kim Jong Un may also face penalties.
Negative Reaction
Residents have expressed criticism of the new fashion bans, pointing out that these restrictions don’t seem to apply to those within Kim Jong Un’s inner circle.
For instance, Kim Ju Ae, the supreme leader’s daughter, was recently seen wearing a blouse with semi-transparent sleeves—one of the newly banned items.
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Similarly, Hyon Song Wol, the deputy department director of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party and a frequent companion of Kim at public events, has been seen sporting the “rooster hairstyle.” This style involves tying long hair atop the head with bangs covering the forehead and one eye.
That ordinary citizens aren’t allowed to wear these styles is a double standard, residents said.
“Residents protested, saying, ‘You can’t wear hair in a bun, you can’t cover your forehead and eyes with your bangs. Are people machines?,’” the North Hamgyong resident said.
Another resident from the northwestern province of North Pyongan reported that locals there are particularly displeased with the ban on blouses with transparent sleeves.
“Even the leader’s daughter appeared wearing see-through clothes,” he said. “People protested and asked why wearing them would be anti-socialist.”
