A Cambodian hairdresser has become a national heroine after winning two sections of the Asia Pacific Hairdressers and Cosmetologist Association (APHCA) Hair Olympics.
Once Cambodia was the home of the Communist-style bob, but Sun Heang, 27, highlighted the rapid change in the culture since a 30-year civil war ended a decade ago when she took out both the best show cut and best hair cut prizes in Tokyo this month.
Hairdressers were targeted by the ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge regime between 1975-79, and few survived the movement's bloody rule.
In recent years, avante guard hairstyles have fared little better amongst the conservatives in the majority Buddhist country. Last Christmas, panic swept salons after a rumour spread that police had been ordered to stop and fine young women with red rinses because they posed a threat to public order.
But there now appears to be a chance that Cambodia may actually host the next Hair Olympics, with members from the 17 member nations vowing to put a proposal to the Cambodian government next February, according to Heang and Khmer-language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea.
Although most Cambodian hairdressers and barbers ply their trade with little more than a mirror on the street and a handful of blunt scissors and razors, a growing middle class has fed a boom in salons.
APHCA includes a diverse range of countries such as Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Bangladesh, Thailand and India. The Tokyo event on September 10 and 11 was the 11th Hair Olympics.
Heang, who has trained internationally, said she competed for the sake of national pride, and to teach the international community that Cambodians can cut with style, but that the national recognition she has received has been a welcome surprise.
"Cambodian people are very skilful hairdressers. What we have lacked in the past is modern equipment," she said.
Once Cambodia was the home of the Communist-style bob, but Sun Heang, 27, highlighted the rapid change in the culture since a 30-year civil war ended a decade ago when she took out both the best show cut and best hair cut prizes in Tokyo this month.
Hairdressers were targeted by the ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge regime between 1975-79, and few survived the movement's bloody rule.
In recent years, avante guard hairstyles have fared little better amongst the conservatives in the majority Buddhist country. Last Christmas, panic swept salons after a rumour spread that police had been ordered to stop and fine young women with red rinses because they posed a threat to public order.
But there now appears to be a chance that Cambodia may actually host the next Hair Olympics, with members from the 17 member nations vowing to put a proposal to the Cambodian government next February, according to Heang and Khmer-language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea.
Although most Cambodian hairdressers and barbers ply their trade with little more than a mirror on the street and a handful of blunt scissors and razors, a growing middle class has fed a boom in salons.
APHCA includes a diverse range of countries such as Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Bangladesh, Thailand and India. The Tokyo event on September 10 and 11 was the 11th Hair Olympics.
Heang, who has trained internationally, said she competed for the sake of national pride, and to teach the international community that Cambodians can cut with style, but that the national recognition she has received has been a welcome surprise.
"Cambodian people are very skilful hairdressers. What we have lacked in the past is modern equipment," she said.
