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I expect to catch a lot of "High & Tight" shaped heat rounds for this but I'm ready so fire away. My question is simple. I look back at the men and woman that served our country in the conflicts of the past, from the Revolutionary War all the way to Vietnam, and what do you see? Brave men and woman who have the appearance of the modern professional of their time. Do you know what I don't see? That's right, High & Tights, shaved heads, and crew cuts. When/why did the Army move away from maintaining a professional appearance that would fit in with any conservative Fortune 500 company of it's time to this idea that skin is the standard? (Side note, the misinterpretation by leaders of AR 670-1 astounds me. There is no 3 inch rule for hair length. Check it out.)
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Grooming Standards
Standards
Grooming Standards Standards
Posted 12 y ago
Responses: 29
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go to the 82nd if you want to see some extreme haircuts, the 1944 comb over is the standard.
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The "appearance of a modern professional" is kinda Subjective then, isn't it? One doesn't need to have a high and tight, shaved head, or crew cut to look professional. Yeah, back in the times you mentioned, very short hair was the standard, masculine look. It's not today. Sure, regulations are to be followed religiously, but to say that a guy with a bit of hair is unprofessional? Find me an "operator" that agrees, and those guys are the the pinnacle of professional. Throw in the old adage that "I'd rather have a 240 PFTer with 2 inch hair who knows every intricate detail of the helicopter he maintains than a guy who is on line twice a week for a haircut but only knows 50% of his equipment and scores a 300 on the PFT". Ok, I just made that up, but it's an awesome adage.
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Other than the haircut that I got at the reception station I never had real short hair. I wore a flat top from about the 6th grade until I was over 30. Shaved heads and "high and tight" were never seen in my day or at least not anywhere that I was.
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Headgear drives a lot of the hair styles. When I came in most wore fuller cuts and of course we had the obligatory walrus moustache. Try wearing an early 80s military hair style with a beret. Gur-an-tee you'll be in a high fade or high and tight soon.
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SSG (Join to see)
in the 82d we wore berets every day and most people had a low or medium fade with a comb over, straight WW2 style
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I can say this with a little self-deprication... but the rules are written by primarilly balding males. Hence more skin is seen as acceptable. Mike drop...
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Tradition not withstanding, the rationale behind close cropped hair and clean shaves came about in the trenches in WW1 - long hair and beards interfered with the proper functioning of the gas mask. This has not changed. The styles adopted by soldiers, on the other hand, have.
It has never been the aim of the army to have its soldiers be indistinguishable from the civilian crowd; quite the opposite. If it has seemed that the army's hair styles have mimicked popular fashion, you will probably find that it was fashion mimicking the army.
Cut your hair, shave your chin and smile, soldier. It may sometimes seem that the army has arbitrary rules and regulations that are solely aimed at making our lives difficult but the truth is that there is sound reasoning behind every one. We just sometimes might not know what they are.
It has never been the aim of the army to have its soldiers be indistinguishable from the civilian crowd; quite the opposite. If it has seemed that the army's hair styles have mimicked popular fashion, you will probably find that it was fashion mimicking the army.
Cut your hair, shave your chin and smile, soldier. It may sometimes seem that the army has arbitrary rules and regulations that are solely aimed at making our lives difficult but the truth is that there is sound reasoning behind every one. We just sometimes might not know what they are.
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MAJ John Adams
The only thing I can think of in which civilian fashion followed military fashion (and yes, that's a thing even though our own military has none) is in the adoption of that implement of torture -- the necktie.
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How about maintaining uniformity per 670-1. Good Order and Discipline... LOL. Don't forget the "bulk and length" factor with regards to headgear fit. It also says "leaders can judge..." Damn LT - this ain't Burger King or the Bundeswehr LOL
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