'Nazi Haircut' Trend Is Hot For Men Despite Controversial Name (PHOTOS)

Wow, This Haircut Has A Pretty Offensive Name

A new men's haircut is trending in New York: shaved on the sides, longer on top, with a hint of hair product to keep things in place. So, what's the big deal? Some dudes are calling it the "Hitler Youth" haircut.

According to a New York Times article, men are increasingly requesting the '30s-style 'do in New York salons. The haircut, which has also increased in popularity due to retro TV shows like "Boardwalk Empire," is taking over hipster manes in American and Europe alike.

But the Times reports that the haircut's modern-day popularity isn't intended to evoke fascist implications, quoting a German editor:

"We usually refer to this cut as the "undercut,' and there are gazillions of variations, for boys and girls," [Annika] von Taube [editor of Sleek] said. "We are aware that non-Germans refer to it as the 'jugend'" -- German for 'youth' -- or the 'Hitler' even. Maybe it’s a case of selective perception."

But still ... with "Hitler" in its name, how can the haircut not carry malignant connotations? As Jenna Sauers of Jezebel writes:

"There are in fact many possible, significantly less-offensive, alternative names for this style: The David Lynch. The George Orwell. The Bernard Sumner ... But the Hitler Youth? Even if only one single barber in the West Village of New York has ever heard a customer use the term, that is still just not an acceptable thing to call a haircut."

Are you bothered by this haircut terminology? We are, too. But we're just glad that we, unlike this kitten, can choose not to style ourselves after the world's most infamous dictator.

Check out our slideshow below of some gentlemen (past and present) who have sported the ill-named haircut. Perhaps we can name it after one of them?

J.Edgar Hoover

Gallery

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE