Iranian barbers warned against haircuts

TEHRAN: Iranian police have warned barbers against offering Western-style hair cuts, applying make-up or plucking the eyebrows of their male customers, a newspaper said.

The frontpage report of the reformist Etemad daily, which could not be immediately confirmed, appeared to be another sign of the authorities cracking down on clothing and other fashion deemed to be against Islamic values. ‘’Western hair styles have been banned,’’ said Etemad.

Iranian young men have in recent years started paying more attention to the way they look and dress, especially in affluent parts of Tehran. Spiked up hair by using gel is known as the Khorusi (Rooster) style and some also use make-up.

Several hairdressers for men in Tehran offer cuts in the style of Hollywood movie stars and other Western celebrities. Clients can also have their eyebrows plucked.

The head of the barber’s union, Mohammad Eftekharifard, said police had instructed it to “exercise specific regulations in barber shops that work under its supervision”. Barbers who do not follow these regulations might be closed down for a month and even lose their permits, Etemad said.

Eftekharifard said, “An official order has been sent to the union, not to apply make-up on men’s faces or do eyebrows.” The report came a week after police launched a crackdown against the growing numbers of young women testing the limits of the law with shorter, brighter and skimpier clothing.