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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The Naval Academy cuts female plebes' hair to should length. Could implement something like that for BCT to be more along the lines of equality.
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Suspended Profile
The military requires haircuts so everybody is equal, in boot camp, you're all worthless pieces of nothing. Females don't get it because they have longer hair, and it would just look weird.
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Cutting off your hair helps contribute to your loss of identity
Then they can rebuild you once your broken down
They can make a killer out of anyone been doing it for thousands of years
Then they can rebuild you once your broken down
They can make a killer out of anyone been doing it for thousands of years
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I havnt Read all the comments on here but simple point of is that all men get their head shave so all of them conform to one hair style and all women have to get the same exact cut, maybe a couple depending on hair texture like a short bob that is easy to maintain. This would equalize somewhat the stigma of women and men getting different treatment. I’ll Be honest i dont Know what the current rules are for women and hair are for basic training right now are
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The biggest reason, is hygene... what if the recruit shows up with lice? Shaving the head solves this problem, period...
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I never did understand why we have to shave our heads and not females, they say it's for hygiene reasons, if that's the case , the females aren't in compliance with this hygiene rule , I dont really care myself, I shave my head still regardless.
Just saying i dont see the big deal, but that's just me though.
Just saying i dont see the big deal, but that's just me though.
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Cutting hair is a very old habit in militaries the world over. I actually researched this and found it went back as far as the Romans and likely further. It was done to prevent being caught by the hair and killed, short hair is harder to grab and hold on to, making it very hard to control a combatant in close combat. It continued for at least 2000 years, but wasn't a requirement. Modern military continued this tradition due to the effect of looking "smart" (not intelligence but appearance) and the impact long hair has on helmets. The reason hair it cut in boot however is for hygiene. No hair, no lice, less cleaning, more training.
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Good comment. At least initially, shaved heads promoted hygiene and took away individuality. It promoted team spirit with it's, "everybody looks alike appearance". However, then and now, the act of shaving male's only heads and not females, is absurd and should be addressed. Longer hair needs more care, is an argument, and female soldiers have the option to tuck and roll in order to keep it within regulations while in uniform. While on active duty, i always addressed the inequity of hair standards between the sexes. Female soldiers are normally honest enough to say that while in the field or deployed to an area where personal hygiene is problematic, long hair is a pain. Solution, no more tucking and rolling, keep your hair to standard without modifications.
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I joined the Navy in 1994. Everyone in Boot Camp had to get a hair cut, everyone. Women got a pretty ugly short hair cut whether they wanted it or not. There were no buns allowed. I knew I would have to get it cut so I did it before I arrived and they still made me pay for their cut! Granted, it wasn't shaved like the males, but even they agreed that we looked worse! It made things easy, though. I think females should have to get a short hair cut in BCT. If they want long hair it will grow back.
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