Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says it takes less time to become a licensed EMT in Arizona than it does to work in a hairstyle salon.
While it's very unusual to see a governor taking such a keen interest in blow drying women's hair, doing away with licenses for blowouts is one of Ducey's top priorities this year.
Not surprisingly, the governor is getting blowback.
"I think it's just an industry or a special interest bullying people and trying to keep them out of the workforce," Ducey said on Sunday Square-Off last weekend.
He claims that getting a state license to be a hairstylist takes more time than training to become an emergency medical technician.
Republican Cathy Koluch, who owns the Studio Academy of Beauty, disagrees.
"[Ducey is] really just basically saying 'What you do for a living anybody can do,'" Koluch said. "I feel that his comments were very disrespectful to the entire industry of cosmetology."
A so-called blowout isn't like a shampoo and blow dry at home.
"It takes technical ability and a lot of practice," said Studio Academy of Beauty instructor Peggy Navoa.
It can also be dangerous.
"I had MRSA in my school twice," Koluch said.
Customers might show up with undisclosed infections that could cause serious health problems, according to Koluch.
"We use the same type of products that you do in a hospital," she said.
Back to the governor's claims: Arizona requires 1,000 hours of classroom and on-the-job training -- about six months -- for a hairstylist license to blow dry hair, plus cut and color.
An EMT in Arizona requires just 130 hours of training, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. They are trained to drive an ambulance and provide only basic care, like stopping bleeding. The training is a first step toward becoming a paramedic.
There's a bill pending in Arizona's state House of Representatives that would eliminate licenses for all hairstylists who do everything involved in blow drying hair. It could get its first hearing in two weeks.