Posted on Apr 12, 2014
SSG Robert Burns
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Head shaving
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/
Edited >1 y ago
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SGT Kristine Limanen
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Basic training is not only a physical test but a mental one too. Turning a civilian into a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine takes a lot, especially for the civilian children now a days. The time frame is too short. Humiliating and breaking a person down will bring out the fight and courage a person has. It will give them a perspective of themselves they never knew they had. With timing, shaving heads is necessary. Many women like to believe they are capable of the same standards of men, but in MOST, not ALL, cases that isn’t true. I met many male Soldiers who weren’t deserving of the uniform. I met few women who weren’t capable of combat, but those women didn’t act superior. Standards should never be the same in the Military. The Military should not go by the same laws as the rest of the Nation, (I don’t remember if they do or not.....
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PO2 Lee Kirk
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Originally the head shaving was to ensure no lice. Recruits come from every state, ethnic background, and income level.
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PO3 Hospital Corpsman (Hm)
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I’m not Army but navy and when I came in, both males AND females had to get their hair cut, males straight shaved and females to the collar, now its different but I agree, it does represent a rite of passage symbolic of the transformation from civilian to military.
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SGT Jody Beach
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Equal rights are equal rights. "Army of One !!!!!"
Discrimination is a two way street....
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SSgt Udm (Unit Deployment Manager)
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The shaved head ENSURES a level of equality AMONG men! Makes us look the same....women have those ugly buns....military are NEVER allowed hair! And to quote a general who enforced shaving standards in the jungles of Nam: "if they are complaining (edited word) about shaving, they aren't complaining(word choice) about dying". BLUF: there's more important stuff to worry about THAN YOUR HAIR!!!

I also agree with SFC Cardin : it provides a great transition from civilian punk to miltary professional....
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LT Naval Aviator
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Does the Army have a similar rule? “Hair shall be of sufficient length to prevent the scalp from being readily visible (with exception due to documented medical condition).” -Navy Women’s Hair Regs.
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SPC Deon Holmes
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Why not they want to be treated as equal tit for tat.
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Sgt Dale Boston
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Edited >1 y ago
as it has been the tradition from the beginning for men, because men started the military, now because of equal rights women are allowed to enlist. National defence was not about hair length, but about will power and the desire to become a good soldier, “The rationale behind the short haircut is to make sure that the hair can’t be grabbed by the enemy, and thus long hair is a liability in combat.” It is better to have them join the military than to drive them away with pointless rules that have zero effect on their ability to defend their country that they love as much as men and do the job in whatever capacity they qualify for as a loyal soldier to defend against enemies foreign and domestic.
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SGT Human Resources Specialist
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I like that you brought up equality. While I'm fine with the way things are and don't understand all the feminists out there. I did find myself wondering the other day if they would ever allow females to shave their heads. It is currently out of regulations for a female to shave their head. But with changing the APFT to the ACFT in 2020, leveling out the fitness requirements between males and females to be the same, I was thinking if they're going for gender equality and such, why not permit females to have shaved heads? Not that I would but some may want that option.
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PVT Kenneth Rodriguez
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Heck yeah let's get some votes and pass a new rule that would make females have to shave their heads that would be funny!!!lol...
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