The answer is hip-width apart. Milady's ergonomics guidance states directly: when standing to cut hair, position your legs hip-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and align your pelvic area with your abdomen.
This sits among a broader set of body-mechanics rules the book teaches to protect barbers from repetitive-strain injury over a career, alongside guidance like standing on an antifatigue mat. The specific leg position it recommends is hip-width apart with slightly bent knees, not a fixed angle or a forward lean.
Milady Standard Barbering, 6th ed., Ch. 3 (Professional Image), p. 46: "When standing to cut hair, position your legs hip-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and align your pelvic area with your abdomen."
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