Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot defends decision to have her haircut amid city-wide lockdown

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot who told city that ‘getting your roots done is not essential’ amid lockdown defends her decision to have one saying she needs it because she is ‘in the public eye’

  • Lightfoot was pictured posing with her hairstylist following a trim last Sunday
  • Critics called the Mayor a ‘hypocrite’, as she has pushed for wide-scale lockdowns and told the public that ‘getting your roots done is not essential’ 
  • Lightfoot has now defended her decision, saying she is ‘the public face of the city’ and needs to look presentable on national TV 
  • Her defense has prompted further backlash, with pundits on both the left and right calling her actions ‘despicable’
  • Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has defended having her haircut in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, despite forcing her city’s salons and barbers to close in compliance with a statewide stay-at-home order. 

Lightfoot, 57, sparked outrage last weekend after her hairstylist shared photos to social media after tending to the Mayor’s tresses. The pair posed close together and neither was wearing a mask or gloves.  

Critics called the Democrat Mayor a ‘hypocrite’, in light of the fact she had recently released a public service announcement telling Chicago residents that ‘getting their roots done is not essential’. Lightfoot has also pushed for police to arrest residents who flout lockdown orders. 

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (left) sparked outrage last weekend after her hairstylist shared photos to social media after tending to the Mayor’s tresses. The pair posed close together and neither was wearing gloves or a mask

Lightfoot defended her haircut, saying: 'I'm the public face of this city. I'm on national media and I'm out in the public eye'

Lightfoot defended her haircut, saying: ‘I’m the public face of this city. I’m on national media and I’m out in the public eye’

But Lightfoot has now blasted back, saying: ‘I’m the public face of this city. I’m on national media and I’m out in the public eye.’

‘I’m a person who, I take my personal hygiene very seriously, as I said I felt like I needed to have a haircut. I’m not able to do that myself,’ she added. 

She also insisted that her hairstylist was wearing both gloves and a mask when she was trimming her locks.  

However, the criticism has continued both online and on national television. 

Panelists on The View roundly condemned Lightfoot Friday, with co-star Sunny Hostin calling the Mayor’s actions ‘despicable’.

‘Leadership starts at the top!’ Hostin fumed. 

Lightfoot (pictured Friday) has been attacked by critics on both the left and right

Lightfoot (pictured Friday) has been attacked by critics on both the left and right

On Twitter, Lightfoot was attacked by both pundits on the left and right. 

After the Mayor defended her decision, Democratic Socialist Carlos Ramirez-Rosa stated: ‘Really? She is under no obligation to look good on national TV. She is under no obligation to book national interviews. But she is under an obligation to follow and promote social distancing in order to save lives. This is a bad example for our city’.

Right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk tweeted: ‘This is typical for Democrats. They fly on private jets but lecture you about the environment. They send their kids to private schools while demanding you don’t. Hypocrites.’ 

Chicago has been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak, with 7,775 confirmed cases of the virus. 253 city residents have died,  

    

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