Mayor Lightfoot defends getting haircut: 'I am the face of the city'

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot defended getting a haircut despite Illinois' stay-at-home order.

Lightfoot Monday acknowledged getting her hair cut after a photo posted by her stylist on social media - showing her without a mask - circulated over the weekend.

"I'm in the public every day. And candidly, my hair was not looking the way it did. I thought maybe I'd do it myself, but I knew that would be a disaster," the mayor during a press conference on Monday.

"But I think what really people want to talk about is, we're talking about people dying here. We're talking about significant health disparities. I think that's what people care most about.

Lightfoot added, "I'll answer this again. I'm the public face of this city. I'm on national media. And I'm out in the public eye. I take my personal hygiene very seriously. I felt like I needed to have a haircut. I'm not able to do that myself. So, I got a haircut. Want to talk more about that?"

Hairstylists and barbers are not on Illinois' list of essential businesses and must be closed during the coronavirus outbreak.

In a recent public service announcement, Lightfoot urged Chicagoans to stay home to save lives. She told women: "Getting your roots done is not essential."

Related: Chicago LGBTQ COVID-19 Resources