5 Hairstyles That Were Once Illegal (Number 2 Came With A Death Sentence)
You think your parents were strict about your hair? Try living under a government that would execute you for not shaving your forehead. Throughout history, rulers have understood something simple and terrifying: control the hair, control the people. From ancient Rome to modern North Korea, these five hairstyles weren’t just discouraged—they were criminalised, with punishments ranging from fines to forced labour to death.
The Qing Queue — "Lose Your Hair, Keep Your Head"
In 1645, the Manchu rulers of China issued one of the most brutal hair laws in history. All Han Chinese men were ordered to shave their foreheads and braid the remaining hair into a long queue, mimicking the Manchu style. The decree gave them ten days to comply. The slogan was chilling: “lose your hair, keep your head; or lose your head, keep your hair”. Refusing to adopt the queue was considered treason against the emperor, punishable by death. Resistance was widespread and bloody, and thousands were executed. The queue remained mandatory for over 260 years, until the Qing dynasty fell in 1912 and men cut their braids off by the thousands.