It’s moppish. It’s unruly. It’s mesmerising.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s hair has long been a subject of fascination, ridicule and adulation in Canada. But three months into the coronavirus pandemic, as he has appeared day after day at televised briefings to answer questions — and sweep the bangs off his face — commentary on Trudeau’s mane has become a national sport.

Was it the pandemic version of a hockey playoff beard? Was he embodying the inner haggardness of the nation, stuck at home for months?

Letters to the editor have been written and newspaper columns crafted. Videos of his hair flip — and the beard he started before the virus struck — have been set to various styles of music and uploaded to YouTube. One has garnered more than 265,000 views.

Trudeau might be the country’s Prime Minister, but he is following the rules and not getting a haircut like much of his unkempt nation, with residents of Ontario, the most populous province, and Montreal barred from visiting barber shops and salons since March.

Still, Trudeau is a master of image branding, and most people believe there is a political point.

“One thing he understands very well is the importance of symbolism in a leader,” said Peter Donolo, the director of communications for a former Liberal Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, and now the vice-chairman of a public relations and lobbying firm.

“Also, it helps that he looks like a million dollars with his hair long,” he added.

Unlike Americans, Canadians demand that their leaders be proletarian — no perks, no special treatment or favours. When it was discovered that another Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, paid a stylist to do his make-up and hair, the country roared in mockery and anger.

Case in point: Trudeau does his briefings before his relatively modest red brick home, which is not the official residence of the Prime Minister. That grows more dilapidated by the week because he is not willing to spend the tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to fix it up.

“Can you imagine the negative media coverage that would arise if he was getting special access to someone to give him a haircut, while we can’t?” asked Alex Marland, a professor of political science at Memorial University in St John’s, Newfoundland.

For three months, Trudeau has held the briefings as often as seven times a week, speaking directly to a captive audience. For many, his briefings have become daily goal posts, his growing hair like a wall chart documenting the days under lockdown.

“It’s this intimate, almost nervous reaction,” said Katy Jean of the Prime Minister’s habit of running his hand through his locks.

Jean, a stay-at-home mom in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has watched all but two of Trudeau’s briefings since March 16. She calls him “Handsome One” in tweets, and has posted various gifs of his hair management.

“He doesn’t do it when he’s talking, but when he’s thinking,” she said. “I’ve also noticed he does it with his left hand, although he’s right-handed.”

There are other things Jean has noticed: Trudeau’s ties are slightly crooked and he recently whitened his teeth, she theorised, likely using stuff from the drugstore.

“You can only hear answers about CERB so much,” she said, referring to the Canada Emergency Relief Benefit.

Jean said she did not vote for Trudeau, who was re-elected with a minority in parliament for his party last year. But she and many other Canadians think he’s done a good job managing the crisis, polls show.

So the hair has not hurt, which is ironic, as a tag line of political attack ads against him in 2015 was “nice hair, though”.

On Friday, barber shops and hair salons are set to reopen in Ottawa, the nation’s capital. The question is: Will the Prime Minister get a haircut, or will he continue to suffer in solidarity with voters in areas of Canada where they remain shuttered?

And if he gets it cut, will the king-of-the-photo op bring his personal photographer with him?

“He needs to shift from Batten-down-the-hatches to Let’s-get-the-economy-moving,” Donolo said. “He should do a photo op at the barber, but I wouldn’t go to a fancy stylist.”

Many Canadians have found themselves relating to the Prime Minister since he’s been experimenting with his lockdown hair style. Others have found pretty funny comparisons to describe Trudeau’s new look.

One Twitter user joked, “Trudeau’s really getting to the full lego man hair level now.”

Another used a Star Wars comparison, noting, “Justin Trudeau looks like he’s about to roll out and cosplay as a random Jedi with that hair and that beard.”

Online, there seems to be many fans of Trudeau’s more relaxed haircut. One Twitter user stated, “Trudeau’s hair is so fluffy... i love lmao.”

Another wrote, “Y’all can talk s*** about Trudeau but his curly hair is hot.”

However, not everybody approves of the new look. One Canadian tweeted to say, “Can someone please give Justin Trudeau a haircut and a beard trim? Enough is enough.”

Somebody else added, “Justin Trudeau, cut your goofy hair and scraggly ass beard challenge.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Trudeau’s daily press briefings have brought attention to more than just his hair.

His infamous “speaking moistly” moment is likely to be remembered for years to come, and his random hiccuping also went viral on Twitter.

Violent arrest

Trudeau said on Friday that police dashcam video of the violent arrest of a Canadian aboriginal chief is shocking and said black Canadians and indigenous people do not feel safe around police.

The arrest has received attention in Canada as a backlash against racism grows worldwide in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck

The 12-minute police video shows an officer charging at Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam with his arm and elbow up as he tackles him to the ground. It also shows the officer punching him in the head.

Trudeau called the video “shocking”.

“I have serious questions about what happened,” Trudeau said. “The independent investigation must be transparent and be carried out so that we get answers. At the same time, though, we also know that this is not an isolated incident. Far too many black Canadians and indigenous people do not feel safe around police. It’s unacceptable. And as governments, we have to change that.”

Pictures show Adam was left bloodied with his face swollen. Alberta’s police watchdog agency is investigating. Police charged Adam with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police dash camera video was released publicly as part of a court application to get criminal charges against Adam removed.

The video earlier shows a different officer approaching Adam’s truck outside a casino in Fort McMurray, Alberta, early on the morning of March 10. Police have said Adam’s truck had expired plates.

The video shows Adam getting in and out of the vehicle, removing his coat and taking a karate-like stance and using expletives as he complains about being harassed by police.

His wife and niece get in in between Adams and the officer at times.