Shaved heads in basic training; is this mandatory? If it is, then why and why only for males?

I also am a proponent of mustaches being a mandatory part of the NCO uniform, regardless of gender. False mustaches being exceptible for those un able to grow full mustache on there own. The warrant officers who came from the NCO Corp, should also be permitted at their own discressionry. All other ranks prohibited.

When I was in basic at Lackland, I had them cut my hair short so I wouldn't have to do anything with it during training. Easy peasy!

Personally, I think different uniform and grooming standards for men and women is sexist.

I think that while getting your head shaved is not a requirement, I agree that it is a form or a visual statement of someone transitioning from civilian life to military life.
I had my head shaved when I went into basic 30 some odd years ago and I considered it a point of pride did I could visually show everyone my life and entered a new phase.
But now that the military is turning into a more equal footing for men and women I believe that this tradition should be modified somewhat.
Let's face it. Hair grows back. So I think when people enter the military that men and women should get their hair cut to a basic military cut. (I'm sure all of us have seen the movie GI Jane. she got her haircut for the movies and it didn't seem to detrimentally affect her)
so everybody lineup get their haircut when they go into basic and then from there on out they can choose to keep it shaved or at a military length.

Uniformity, uniformity, uniformity

I don't know about the Navy, I served my time in the army however, when I attended basic training the male recruits received abasic training bald and the females got the infamous "bowl" or budgie cut. If it works for the army it should work for the Navy... In my humble opinion

Well it would appear you Missed two things first What does the Regulation Say? Second we do that because the Military hates men. The original reason was hair is full of Germs and can cause and infection fast. I think we have passed that now people take better care about washing now than they used to, and don't forget we hate men and want to punish them for enlisting. JMHO

The standards are equal, until they are not. On one of my very last days of service I was walking out of the unit S-1 shop after getting a new CAC. Coming in the opposite direction was a female E-7 type (slick sleeve) with so much hair, her cover was not physically touching her head. And I swerved onto the grass next to the pavement to make sure I wouldn't come in contact with her way out of standards hair. With some mental math I determined that I had 12 days left to ETS, and I was thankful for that.

There was a time when the shaving a man’s head was for hygiene reasons. If a man had head lice or ticks a close cutting of the hair exposed these and allowed them to be eliminated making that man more effective as a fighter. Generally that time has passed as hygiene standards for all have greatly improved. On a personal level, women should be required to wear their hair short either male standards or perhaps a one size fits all page boy cut. Women can learn in AIT how to pile all that hair up under a size 9 cover, it also goes back to uniformity and becoming part of something larger than yourself.

The purpose of the head shaving is to make everyone equal and to look and dress alike. The idea is to get boots thinking and acting as a unit and not individuals. Not to mention the time it would take to get them a hair cut every few weeks to stay within the haircut standards.

The Army is making headway with equality but a long way to go. There are numerous things that EO doesn't address. The hair, married soldiers gets paid more money and better housing for same work. and additional uniform options for females

The "hair standards have nothing to do with equality" is SO much what a prog lib feminazi would argue until her face matched her hair. Dogmatic statements like that attempt to shut out any disagreement because, being said as a statement of fact, they require more of a confrontation to argue. Most people now won't, but to not speak up is just enabling them. An excellent choice to stimulate response. I'm surprised there were 15% of this demographic picked that one.

I'm astounded that the reasoning for the "cue ball" haircut for men isn't clearly understood. It's the very first, most basic step in creating a unit. The recruits enter the barber shop as a number of distinct individuals. Easily identified and sorted. They exit the building with very little difference in appearance. You have to hear a voice to recognize the guy you went in with in many cases. You start with erasing individual appearances as much as possible. Then starts the hard part for the DI/CC or what have you. The rest of basic is to mold the actions and thoughts into a single purpose as much as possible. I shudder to think how much harder it will be for instructors to create an integrated unit when they have to allow individual traits in appearance handcuff their efforts. I can't believe that leadership is contemplating catering to a millennial mindset over training efficiency. I'm concerned that this kind of concession will contribute to the creation of more 'Bergdahl' types in field units. I will confess I haven't much considered the effects of hair regulations for women. Women were just beginning to work sea duty posts when I got out. There was a lot of resentment over the preferential treatment they received at the beginning of the integration. I suppose if we stick to the equal treatment policy they should also do the cue ball. It's a temporary thing, hair grows back. However, given that women would have more hair to grow back, I would be amenable to the women receiving a regulation service males haircut for basic.

Originally, the shaving of the hair off the head had nothing to do with transition. Believe it or not, it actually was a health issue. During WW II, many draftees came from homes that had poor personal cleansing practices, which included hair lice. Since lice can spread like wildfire among humans, the quickest solution was to shave the heads of all recruits. With shaved heads, all recruits looked the same, hair wise. Thus, they also learned that looks had nothing to do with performance. The infestation of lice has long been removed, but the shaving of the head of all recruits remains a tradition. Now, with the inclusion of females into all facets of military life, the shaving of the head for recruits has become one of sexual equality. With the eradication of lice as a clinical problem, I personally think that all recruits, male & female, should have the initial haircut to military standards and not shaved heads.

I showed up with my head shaved week within regulation. The ground the razor so deep I was bleeding for my CAC picture. Without even cleaning the razor before or after me. Obnoxious. Then they make you pay for this terrible haircut that only the makes have to do and at a taste higher than a styled haircut elsewhere. I think it's unnecessary and nothing to do with breaking and remaking a soldier. I've seen segments that there's no time to get regular haircuts, but there's plenty. They do it at every other post and base just fine. My haircut still generally takes less time than their shaving did considering you had to do it every week or two. It reached lessons of inequality between recruits, and enforced standards that are not regulation. In my opinion, this needs to stop. Primacy should enforce regulation. Nothing more or less. That is how you create clear and critical obedience when necessary later on. Just my 2¢

No...it’s mostly for hygiene. Same reason they used to shave prisoners heads.

Some high school and college sports teams also shave their heads the first day of camp, primarily to start the bonding that is so necessary for their best performance. As military recruits the act equalizes us all and begins a similar process.

OK, a great subject! I voted for the "Both males and females should have their heads shaved if any at all." because of the "if any at all". I'm not for women getting their hair shaved, but I'm also not for women being able to wear it any way they want, even within regs.

First, I can't imagine going through basic training and having to worry about my hair, or a mustache. There's too much going on to fiddle with it, and honestly, be harassed by DI's with different opinions on the standard.

At one time, way back when I first joined, in the National Gaurd men could wear wigs. Absolutely a stupid idea, and thankfully it went away not long after I joined.

Being in Combat Arms and going to the field for "extended fun" for the first time with an Army standard haircut on the long side turns out not to be so much fun when you're short on water, and showers aren't available.

But, I digress. I believe that a major portion of basic training is learning in a short amount of time to work together as a team no matter what your background. Race, religion, ethnic, rich, poor, GED or Doctorate. ALL ARE EQUAL! The first thing that evens us out is the uniform and our rank- Trainee. The second thing that evens us out is the part of the uniform that we wear on our head, our haircut. The third thing that evens us out is fair treatment by the Drills. Everybody gets treated badly, woke up at the same time, whether O dark 30 or later, (except for gaurd duty), does pushups (punished) at the same time, does the same extra duties and same training.

How else do you take individual soldiers of a thousand different backgrounds and directions, and turn them into a fighting team with one purpose and goal?

IMO, Males should get the buzz cut number 2 or 3 comb, Women should not get a buzz cut, but a uniform short cut, for example using a number 8 comb attachment all over. If the recruit, male or female, can't handle the thought of having their hair cut close for 8-12 weeks, and it would keep them from joining, they're probably in the wrong place, and the military can save itself from wasting tens of thousands of training dollars.

Gi Jane looked sexy to me.............course that was Demi haha

In the Marines we had shaved heads, unbloused boots and the top button fastened in 1st phase. You had to earn the right to blouse your boots, unbutton the top button, and get a high and tight haircut. It's part of the transformation as has been said and tradition. You conform to the Marine Corps, the Corps doesn't conform to you.