Sandisiwe Mbhele

By Sandisiwe Mbhele

UX Content Writer


‘Good for them’ as Kim Jong-un bans skinny jeans

North Korea doesn't want any symbols of a 'capitalistic lifestyle'.


This is another of many fashion statements that North Koreans have to say goodbye to.

It was reported by South Korean news outlet Yonhap News Agency that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has heeded the call by a workers union to ban skinny jeans, mullets and certain body piercings as symbols of a “capitalistic lifestyle”.

Workers party and national newspaper Rodong Sinmun argued that socialism had failed due to the “invasion of the capitalistic lifestyle”. It said following these kinds of trends diminishes the socialist movement.

The ban includes 15 different fashion and hair styles, such as dyed hair, mullets, spiked hair and nose piercings. Any hair style prohibited falls under “anti-socialist behaviour”, Newsweek reported.

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The action taken by the one-party state is one of many restrictions on the North Korean people. Some people think the bans are a good idea. Skinny jeans have long been a divisive fashion piece, especially with a growing number of younger men wearing them. These include rock bands and boy bands such as K-pop’s BTS and Thirty Seconds to Mars.

There was an interesting response to dictator Jong-Un’s latest actions.

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