NJ Scrubs Plan to Ban Brazilian Bikini Waxes

(NEWSER) - Being at the beach is no excuse for unseemly dress, writes Paula Marantz Cohen in the Smart Set, who found herself looking at '09's swimsuit designs and wishing for some outfits from '10—1910, that is. Not wanting to show off vast areas of flesh usually covered up isn't just female vanity, Cohen writes. It's "not about looking fat but about being naked." More»

(NEWSER) - A Republican congressman who fiercely opposes abortion and embryonic stem-cell research has called Barack Obama the “abortion president” for decisions affecting both issues, Fox News reports. Obama will lift the federal ban on new stem-cell research along with a Bush edict allowing caregivers to refuse abortion on moral grounds. “Why does the president persist in the dehumanizing of nascent human life?” said Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey. More»

Law would force thong, G-string flashers to adopt wider coverage

(NEWSER) - Florida's Pinellas County is seeking a crackdown on exposed backsides, the St. Petersburg Times reports. The county, citing complaints from visitors dismayed to find men and women nearly nude at area beaches, wants to protect the region's image as a family destination by banning skimpy thongs and G-strings in favor of swimwear that involves wider coverage. More»

(NEWSER) - A Chicago salon named Ossama’s Hair Design has seen a marked uptick in business after changing its name to Obama’s, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “This is going to work for me for sure,” said Mike Elsheikh, the shop’s owner. “The name is absolutely making a huge difference.” He licensed the name during the election: “I had a good imagination he would win.” More»

Part of crackdown that includes tattoos and scanty clothing

(NEWSER) - Western or unconventional styles are officially out in Iran, where police shuttered over a dozen barbershops in the past 2 weeks for giving “un-Islamic” haircuts. Such practices are forbidden thanks to an edict issued in April through the barber’s union. Eleven salons for women were also closed for license violations, including tattooing, which is forbidden by the health ministry. More»