Francois Hollande, the French President, has an $11,000-per-month barber bill that has caused a scandal and eroded his image as a regular guy. Other politicians have also been plagued by hair problems. Here are some hair-raising moments.
EDWARDS HAIRCUTS – STARTING AT $1,250 – $12.95
John Edwards, the Democratic presidential candidate in the United States, pledged to end poverty. However, he raised some eyebrows after revealing that he had received two $400 haircuts during his campaign.
Joseph Torrenueva, a pricy hairdresser, stated that he increased the price to $150 due to travel expenses incurred in meeting Edwards on his campaign trail. Torrenueva said that one haircut would cost $1,250 because he had to fly from Atlanta and miss two days of work.
Edwards was not helped by the exorbitant haircuts. The Democratic nomination was won by then-Senator Barack Obama.
Edwards was seen at SuperCuts, a humble chain with no appointment — where a men’s snip costs a populist-friendly $12.95
In 2014, she joked that she liked the idea to call “Hard Choices”, her memoir about her time as secretary of state, “The Scrunchie Chronicles,” since her hairstyles were constantly in debate.
Clinton was widely criticized for her easy-to-use ponytail and scrunchie while she zig-zagged through 112 countries as President Barack Obama’s top diplomat.
In April, the presumptive Democratic nominee was also criticized for his haircut at New York’s John Barrett Salon. Although it is not clear what Clinton paid for the haircut, a typical cut-and-blow-dry there costs about $600.
Detractors claim that her campaign promise to support working Americans was broken by the high price tag.
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TRUMP’S GRAVITY-DEFYING COMB-OVER
Clinton often joked that finally, there is someone on the political stage whose hair is as big a talking point as hers. She is referring to Donald Trump.
The presumptive Republican nominee and tycoon have a well-known, gravity-defying combover. Rumors swirl that he may wear a toupee to achieve this unique look.
In 2015, ABC anchor Barbara Walters poked fun at Trump’s brain and declared that it all seemed real.
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PALIN: THE LUXURY LUXURY “HOCKEYMOM”
It was shocking to learn that Republican John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign had spent $165,000 on stylists in less than two months for Sarah Palin, his vice presidential pick.
Exorbitant costs for hairstyling and clothing ruined Palin’s “hockey mom” image. Palin’s travel hairdresser earned $42,615 in nine weeks, more than $700 per day.
CHERIE BLAIR’S HAIR NERVES
Cherie Blair, the former British Prime Minister, was ridiculed after she spent $2668 on a personal stylist at a G7 meeting held in the United States.
Andre Suard, a hairdresser, was flown to Denver to attend to every strand of hair for four days.
The British government spokesperson made things worse by trying to explain the situation away, saying that Mrs. Blair was nervous because it was her first summit. Mrs. Blair claimed that she paid all the expenses.
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GATES ATTACK BERLUSCONI’S HAIR
Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, lambasted Silvio Berlusconi, the then-Italian Prime Minster, for prioritizing his hairstyle over foreign aid in 2010.
After photos taken over the same week showed Berlusconi with drastically different levels of hair growth, speculation was high about Berlusconi’s hair.
The philanthropist mocked the reported hair transplant in Italy by attacking Italy’s poor aid record. Gates stated to Germany’s Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, “rich people spend more money on their own problems like baldness than they do fighting malaria.”
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BILL CLINTON’S HAIR FORCED TO ONE
In 1993, President Bill Clinton caused consternation by grounding Air Force One, the presidential plane, in Los Angeles. This caused two runways to close at the airport for about an hour.
Why? His hair.
Cristophe Schatteman, a Belgian-American stylist, gave President Clinton a $200 haircut while the massive taxpayer-funded plane sat on the tarmac with its engines still running. Although the move delayed some flights at first, some media claimed that Clinton’s critics exaggerated those delays.
