Why Leonardo DiCaprio's Haircut Was Banned In One Country

When Leonardo DiCaprio starred in "Titanic," he was undoubtedly acting at the height of his powers. After bubbling underground for years and playing some roles to varying degrees of success, the scale of "Titanic" drew global acclaim, and blew everything he had done up until that point out of the water. The movie changed DiCaprio's life —  making him one of the hottest Hollywood commodities of the time, when he was only 22 years old.

As the $200 million movie racked up insane numbers at the movie theaters and later in sales, DiCaprio's profile continued to rise. By March 1998, "Titanic" had become the first-ever movie to make $1 billion in sales, and it remains the third highest-grossing movie of all time, per Cosmopolitan. The smashing success of the film sprang both DiCaprio, and co-star Kate Winslet, to fame.

Not only did that moment come to define his career and eventually get him working on more critically-acclaimed movies, with several superstar directors, but it also brought a bit of extra attention to the actor whose charm could no longer go unnoticed, or unappreciated.

Soon after the release of "Titanic," the love for DiCaprio seemed to (unsurprisingly) explode beyond measure, to the point that the media referred to it as LeoMania, per Sun Sentinel. An intense level of fandom for the actor swept across not just the U.S., but also across the globe. So much so that young men halfway across the world were influenced by his style and his looks.

To underscore the massive impact of "Titanic," the movie spent a ridiculous 15-week period at No. 1 on box office charts, and it became an instant cultural influencer. According to Vulture, there were all forms of merchandise created off it, as well as special shows running off its popularity to feed the public's almost-insatiable thirst for more "Titanic" themed content.

The outfits, and even haircuts, from the film became a hit with younger generations as well, reaching far-flung locations like Afghanistan, where the Taliban was at the helm during its first rule lasting from 1996 to 2001.

According to LeoEdit, Leonardo DiCaprio's haircut in "Titanic" is called the "mushroom," and it quickly became popular amongst young men in Afghanistan. Soon after, the Taliban took exception to it, and they banned not only the haircut, but the movie as well, according to BBC News. They even went as far as arresting barbers who were giving the haircut.

The reason? The Taliban thought the haircut was against Islam, and would interfere with the prayers of the teenagers and young men sporting it. Afghanistan is a country with an overwhelming Muslim population, and people must touch their heads to the ground as they pray five times every day.

There are no records of other countries clamping down on DiCaprio's haircut like the Islamic government of Afghanistan, where, according to Inquisitr, men were forced to wear hats in order to hide their Titanic-inspired mushroom haircuts from government agents.