The unkindest cut: Iran gets style guide

We introduced the hairstyles to the Culture Ministry, said Jaleh Khodayar,head of the group,telling newspapers on Tuesday that it had been approved informally and an official statement would soon be made.

Clothing and hair styles have become a highly visible political statement in Iran since the first stirrings of the reform movement in the late 1990s. Beards or heavy facial stubble worn by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are considered signs of religious piety. But many men,including Opposition activists,adopt a clean-shaven look.

The hairstyles are aimed at confronting Western cultural invasion,according to Khodayar,by promoting cuts based on the law and culture of the Iranian society.

The group says the styles will be modified for Irans provinces based on regional culture and the clean-shaven models will be displayed in barber shops for visibility.