September 18

 

Myanmar women crowded inside the small shops in one of the busiest townships in Yangon.

 

Three women with long black hair are sitting inside one of the shops, watching a woman who is cutting hair.

 

On one side of the shop, a man patiently combed the long hair of another woman, in her 40s, and divided her short hair equally. 

 

He raised his voice and said "Come here, it is ready to cut," to one of his workers. A woman with a scissor and a measuring string came.

 

 

She put her scissor just under the ear and tried to cut the hair, while telling the customer, "You will make more money if you cut your hair much shorter,"

 

The woman sitting on a chair looked at herself in the mirror and said, "I'm afraid it will be too short. Well, what is important is to get more money. Food is more important. Cut it." and closed her eyes.

 

The shop is not a hair saloon but it is shop that buys hair used for wigs and is located near Thaketa Township. More and more women these days, are selling their long hair to help their families survive amid the spiraling of prices of basic good.

 

The women inside the shop tell each other, "we cut our hair as this is the only thing we have left to sell," in order to contribute to provide our families with basic needs, food especially, amid rising prices and shortages of job opportunities.

 

"I cut my hair once, to donate at the pagoda. But this time, I'll use the money to buy edible oil. I don't even dream of selling my hair for rice and edible oil," a young woman told another while waiting in a queue to buy edible oil.

 

"I cut my hair once, to donate at the pagoda. But this time, I'll use the money to buy edible oil. I don't even dream of selling my hair for rice and edible oil,"

 

 

Poor people have been suffering heavily after the military seized power more than two years ago, sometimes skipping meals during some days.

 

The price of one-foot long hair weighing 163 grams range from 300,000 kyats (USD 143) to 400,000 kyats (USD 190), depending on the thickness of the hair.

 

However, the majority of the poor people who sells their hair can only make between 10,000 kyats (USD 4.76) and 100,000 kyats (USD 47.63).

 

There are ordinary people who could not afford to buy a bag of raw rice that costs around 100,000 kyats. And many of them are satisfied to earn money to buy two baskets of rice and one viss of edible oil. 

 

After more than 30 months of the military coup, the basic commodity prices are rising steadily and one viss (1.68 kg) of palm oil rose to 10,000 kyats, while a basket of raw rice reached 3000 kyat. Likewise, one viss of chicken sells for10,000 kyats while one viss of fish has reached 9,000 kyats, Meanwhile the daily minimum wage is only 4,800 kyats (USD 2.29).

 

This, it is a common scene in towns in cities for people to queue at the shops that sell rice and edible oil at lower prices.

 

 

Some hair buyers noted that  the number of people who sells their hair is increasing steadily.

 

Instead of having their hair cut at home, people go to these shops to get their hair cut and sell their hair at higher prices.

 

The shops don't buy hair, which is less than seven inches long. In Thaketa Township, the number of shops that purchase hair is increasing to over 20 from less than ten shops before the February 2021 coup.

 

There is also an increasing number of mobile hair dealing services that opened stalls beside the roads amid increasing number of women selling their hair.

 

"At least ten people sell their hair a day, recently. Most of them are the women from ordinary families with low incomes," said a hair dealer.

 

"At least ten people sell their hair a day, recently. Most of them are the women from ordinary families with low incomes,"

 

 

Some dealers even provided door-to-door service to buy hair. Hair over 18 inches long ispassing much preferred by these dealers.

 

The man inside the shop called up women  through his shops, saying "We pay good price for your hair, please come visit our shop if you're interested,".

 

A woman who just sold her hair at the shop whispered to a friend next to her, "Well, I sold my hair and got money. If anyone in our street asked about my hair, let's say I cut it because of my health condition," and walked slowly toward the grocery store.

 

Burma Associated Press