Cutting remarks are being made about the high cost of the French president’s personal hairdresser.
On Wednesday, the French weekly paper Le Canard Enchaîné revealed that Francois Hollande’s private barber is paid a monthly salary of 9,895 euros — $10,958 — from the public coffers. That is about as much as a French government minister makes per month, and only a third less than Hollande’s own monthly paycheck.
In trying to brush off the unfolding scandal, the government spokesman Stephane le Foll said, “Everyone has their hair done, don’t they? This hairdresser had to abandon his salon and he’s on tap 24 hours a day.”
The revelation is especially jarring because Hollande has long promised to be a “normal” president, unlike the “bling-bling” era of his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.
But as Sébastien Huygue, a member of parliament, put it, “For a normal president, [Hollande] doesn’t have a normal hairdresser.”
The hairdresser, identified as Olivier B., apparently has such a tough work schedule that he had “missed the births of his children.”
The terms of his contract means that he is also sworn to “the most absolute secrecy on the work he will do or the information he may fall upon,” according to Le Canard Enchaîné.
News of Hollande’s expensive hairdresser soon spawned the hashtag #CoiffeurGate.
I wonder how much his wigmaker earned#CoiffeurGatepic.twitter.com/n6wb7PcoDS— Mathieu von Rohr (@mathieuvonrohr) July 13, 2016
Shampoo socialism: French Pres. #Hollande‘s €10,000 haircut draws online irehttps://t.co/CKRzBOUQ2x#CoiffeurGatepic.twitter.com/jwtoidCFM0— DW – Business (@dw_business) July 13, 2016
#CoiffeurGate OMG so complicate hair that need a 10.000 € every month. Amazing pic.twitter.com/N40gHNj9xt— Nikos Kapetanios (@nikoskapetanios) July 13, 2016
Over the years, the seemingly innocuous issue of hairdressing has been the source of multiple and memorable controversies for different politicians.
In 1993, then-president Bill Clinton was caught up in a “Hairgate” when two runways at the Los Angeles International Airport had to be closed for about an hour so that he could get his hair trimmed aboard Air Force One.
In 2007, former senator and vice-presidential candidate John Edwards caused a stir when it was revealed that he had splurged on expensive haircuts, and later had to reimburse his campaign $800 to pay for the cost of two haircuts.
And just this year, Hilary Clinton’s $600 haircut at an exclusive New York salon led many to question whether she was out of touch with ordinary people.
Queen @HillaryClinton pays $600 for a fancy haircut. Out of touch with everyday Americans. #NeverHillary— Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) March 31, 2016
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