Leonardo's Hair Causing Uproar

By Caitlin O'toole

Monday June 01, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

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The 'do that Leonardo DiCaprio sported in the blockbuster film "Titanic" is all the rage in the Afghan capital of Kabul . . . but the ruling Taliban says the hairstyle just doesn't cut it, according to Reuters. Throngs of men in the city are lining up for hair cuts resembling the style worn by DiCaprio in the film -- complete with untrimmed fringe and a shortly cropped back. But the Taliban, who are trying to cleanse their Islamic state of just about any Western influence, are vehemently opposed to the trend. The religious police, who enforce an interpretation of Islam that includes a ban on shaving, have detained dozens of barbers in Kabul for cutting people's hair in the forbidden "Titanic" style. "The religious police have warned us against the use of 'Titanic' and other Western hair fashions," one barber said. In addition to Leonardo's hairstyle, merchants in Kabul reportedly attach the "Titanic" name to just about anything they think will sell: cosmetics, clothes, footwear, wedding cakes, and vehicles.