Short on the sides and thinning on top, French President Francois Hollande's hair is kept perfectly groomed at a cost of almost 10,000 euros a month, the Canard Enchaine weekly reported Wednesday. The unpopular leader's hair has never been the topic of scrutiny, unlike other high-profile male politicians such as US presidential candidate Donald Trump or former London mayor Boris Johnson.
However the publication of the contract of his hairdresser, identified only as Olivier B., by the investigative newspaper had the French bristling over such extravagant spending by a Socialist president. "I can understand the questions, I can understand that there are judgements," said government spokesman Stephane Le Foll, who confirmed the hairdresser's steep salary of 9,895 euros ($10,900) a month. A lawmaker with the far-right National Front (FN) referred to Hollande as "his majesty" on Twitter, while other users superimposed afros, mullets and other hairstyles on pictures of the president, to "help his hairdresser earn his salary". An image of Hollande with a beanie photoshopped onto his head was captioned "budget cuts". Hollande himself earns an annual wage of 179,000 euros a year or 14,900 euros a month.