Posted on Apr 12, 2014
Shaved heads in basic training; is this mandatory? If it is, then why and why only for males?
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So I was in basic training land today to help with some medical stuff. I couldn't help but noticed all the shaved heads all over the place and then the females with 20 ft of hair. In an era where we are screaming equal treatment; is this equal?I am also wondering why does a new private have to get his head shaved in the first place? Why not just a haircut within Army Standards?
Have the lines between male and female been erased? Are they trying to be erased or are we picking and choosing which ones we want to erase? Why does a male soldier have no choice in keeping his hair but a female does? If you love Liberty you will vote below.
ADDED: Could this be considered a form of hazing with the crackdown on hazing since this is obviously not a requirement but more of a tradition? I'm not saying I think it is I'm just asking the question. If it's not required and it doesn't apply to everyone.
*****UPDATED******
Well, well, well what do we have here?
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/careers/2015/01/08/rtc-boot-camp-haircuts-navy/21439483/
Have the lines between male and female been erased? Are they trying to be erased or are we picking and choosing which ones we want to erase? Why does a male soldier have no choice in keeping his hair but a female does? If you love Liberty you will vote below.
ADDED: Could this be considered a form of hazing with the crackdown on hazing since this is obviously not a requirement but more of a tradition? I'm not saying I think it is I'm just asking the question. If it's not required and it doesn't apply to everyone.
*****UPDATED******
Well, well, well what do we have here?
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/careers/2015/01/08/rtc-boot-camp-haircuts-navy/21439483/
Basic Training
Grooming Standards
Equality
Drill Sergeant
Edited >1 y ago
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 458
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It is done to get the young men thinking less as an individual and more like a member of a team.
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Head shaving dates back to 1620s England, when Oliver Cromwell demanded all new soldiers who swore fealty to shave their heads
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This is tricky. I agree with DS Morgan it takes a long time. However, I will never let my hair return to that style because when I went through we had to take our patrol caps off during specific training times. My head was not used to not being covered and now I have permanent scarring on the top of my head from the burns. Even the sunscreen they gave us didn't help. It's not going to be fun explaining that if I ever start balding.
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Well I believe woman should have a haircut to at least to the shoulders if possible during BCT. It will have more uniformity. They won't have to get another haircut most likely during the whole period of BCT. Maybe one more before graduation?
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First of all the haircut is NOT shaving the head. It is a very close to the scalp cut. I'm not sure why females aren't required to get the cut but there are different standards (especially for pt test.)
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They already have a hard enough time recruiting females, I don't think requiring them to shave their heads will up those numbers.
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The haircut is part of the psychology of B CT . Removing the hair removes the individual, we all became the same.
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When I was in basic at Fort Leonard Wood in 1980 we had a choice of the shaved head or the long cut. The recruits that opted for the long cut looked so bad, that the rest of us just got the shave. We all rubbed each guys head as they ran the gauntlet outside of the barbershop. Since we had to pay for the haircut, the less time we had to go the better. Plus it was one less thing to mess with.
I'm not sure how the female recruits handled long hair, but I am sure it was a pain. Personally, I would not like to see the girls with shaved heads, but maybe with a short bob cut.
The reason why the Army had shaved heads and faces was so the helmet and gas mask would fit properly.
I'm not sure how the female recruits handled long hair, but I am sure it was a pain. Personally, I would not like to see the girls with shaved heads, but maybe with a short bob cut.
The reason why the Army had shaved heads and faces was so the helmet and gas mask would fit properly.
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