In spite of North Korea's recent nuke test, the world has not forgotten that it's Kim Jong-un's birthday.
However, as with much of North Korea, the exact date of Kim's birthday is shrouded in mystery and has never been officially confirmed. It's said to fall on Jan. 8, thanks to Dennis Rodman's "Happy Birthday" performance for the North Korean leader at a basketball match in Pyongyang in 2014.
But celebrations for Kim's birthday have been relatively low-key compared to his late father's and grandfather's. It could be that Kim is trying to project an image of a humble leader or that he doesn't want his age to cast him in an inexperienced light. Whatever the reason, there's no denying that, in the four years since he became North Korea's leader, his physical appearances have garnered nearly as much press as the country's state affairs.
We took a closer look at some of Kim's fashion-forward trends that could make him 2016's accidental style icon.
1. The half-brow
In February last year, Kim Jong Un partially shaved off a third of his eyebrows, which caused beauty editors and brow enthusiasts to mourn his once-coveted thick and straight brows that are all the rage in Asia.
We've had almost a year to get used to his new brows, and we even might go as far to say they're starting to grow on us. We give Kim 10 points for daring to be different. Whether the rest of the world will follow in his footsteps is yet to be determined.
2. Two-by-two crew cut
In most Asian countries, a military haircut is referred to as the "four by two" and is the standard instructions that boys entering the army give to barbers to indicate the finger-width for the back and sides of the mandatory haircut.
Kim debuted his sideburn-less 2-centimeter crew cut at the same time as his half-brows, which has since earned him fashion infamy with American magazines that labeled his hairstyle "barbarous" and "ambitious." Here at Mashable, we prefer to call it the "two by two".
Who Wore It Best ??!! #KimJongun Or #DJPaulyD ??!! A photo posted by DJ Pauly D (@djpaulyd) on Feb 20, 2015 at 8:05am PST
This hairstyle has been compared to the likes of ex-Jersey-Shore-cast-member-turned DJ, Pauly D, and Guile from Street Fighter. But let's face it, it wasn't trending until Kim wore it and reportedly ordered North Korean men to copy his shorn hair style.
Suggested hairstyles for men at a Pyongyang barber shop, including the wave style, fireworks style (in the middle) and the cloud style. Customers can, of course, ask for other styles as well, but most men do wear their hair pretty much like this. A photo posted by erictalmadge (@erictalmadge) on Dec 1, 2015 at 5:36pm PST
3. Wide-brimmed fedora
Though wide-brimmed hats have been on trend for a few seasons now, 2015 was the year that Kim ditched his blue-gray utilitarian uniform for a more casual outfit, which he accessorized with a smokin' beige fedora.
Two words: on point. Yves Saint Laurent would approve.
JONI WAS WEARING HER YSL FOLK TUNIC, A LEATHER CAPE HEDI MADE FOR HER AND THE YSL CLASSIC FEDORA pic.twitter.com/2bLiyMRB3O— Yves Saint Laurent (@YSL) January 8, 2015
4. Military-style wardrobe
While it's nice seeing Kim out of his signature outfit once in a while, there's no denying that, when it comes to nailing the menswear military trend, he's a frontrunner with his double-breasted jackets and no-nonsense slacks. Menswear designers better look out for this new fashion muse.
Alexandre Plokhov FW15 #mensfashion #menswear #MensStyle #Military #trend #fashionblogger pic.twitter.com/wzAWurAr9D— Miquel Mariol (@MiquelMariol) July 1, 2015
5. "The Un" selfie
“@bumilangit: cc bawang RT @W7VOA: New Kim Jong Un portrait pic.twitter.com/GvLBX7tUlf” true hip hop— jape (@_jepah) April 13, 2014
We have Derek Zoolander to thank for "blue steel" and Korean celebrities for "the sparrow." But when it comes to the serious-face selfie, Kim has been killing it since day one with his deadpanned expression that we've dubbed "The Un."
Because when you want people to take you seriously, smiling is not allowed. Case in point: Victoria Beckham, who has said she looks better with a scowl.
