In Taiwan
HAIR, or the lack of, especially on male heads, is a sensitive topic in Taiwan.
Some time back, Apple Daily ran a front-page spread on the apparent bogus claim of a hair replacement product, endorsed by the likes of actor Jeff Chen, known to Singapore TV viewers as Taiwan 'Ah Seng'.
It struck a deep chord because men here take their hair very seriously.
Hair care sales grew by 5 per cent last year and sales of men's grooming products registered 'healthy growth', according to a market report by Euromonitor International.
A few weeks ago, opposition lawmakers made a big ruckus when one of their own, former premier Chiou I-jen, had his locks shorn off.
It's a form of humiliation, they cried. It is not compulsory for inmates at the Tucheng Detention Centre, where Chiou is held on suspicion of embezzling diplomacy funds, to have their hair reduced to crew cuts, they noted.
For what is Chiou without his F4 style silky tresses, say admirers.
Not only is the look in vogue again, but it also underlines Chiou's background as a student activist in the 1970s, when such shoulder-length hair denoted idealism and were often found on matinee idols like Chin Han.
Chiou's former boss, ex-president Chen Shui-bian, is not into such idealism, it seems.
Unused to having a floppy fringe ala Hong Kong star Aaron Kwok after a month in detention, Chen had his hair trimmed the very next day after his release. To get rid of bad luck perhaps?
But you can be sure that Chen's nemesis, Kuomintang lawmaker Chiu Yi, is holding on to every single strand.
Just this morning, opposition protestors gave Chiu a taste of the same humiliation Chiou suffered.
A protestor, unhappy with how smug Chiu seemed after ex-president Chen was charged for corruption, tore off Chiu's toupee off to reveal his bald plate.
Gasp! The Horror!
But Chiu, who bounced back from jail to be elected lawmaker, would not be cowed.
Losing no time in sticking his toupee back, he declared, 'I wont' be defeated!'
Chiu shouldn't worry unduly over the shiny plate, for there are no lack of powerful males with the same lack.
Just ask Donald Trump.