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

Professional appearance in a service uniform should definitely be a requirement, hair included. Especially when representing their country in assignments around the world. It is unfortunate that a particular race had their heads shaved before being exterminated. Traditions may have been great in the past when established, but tend not to be as great with the continuous changes of our future. There are traditions that should be modified according to the present time. No gender should be forced to have their head shaved. A clean professional haircut should certainly be required.

Looks like a high number of men have voted. Get a clue women thats how they feel about you being there. Im not saying leave but i am saying be prepared

There isn't equality or equity. The army's working hard to bring equality with the gender neutral pt standards and such. But since day-0 females are taught that they are different than males. Quotas for leadership and lower standards/expectations to name two. In voluntary courses such as Ranger School, women are required to shave their heads. I'm not going to get into the debate about how women fare/are treated in such courses, but at the very least they are held to the same 670-1 standard there. I personally feel as others have pointed out that the shaving of the head on day-0 provides a very necessary psychological shock to the individual. All individuality is removed from the person. Uniformity is the standard. devotion to the unit, not to the self is the expectation. These mentalities can be seen from men who graduate from courses such as 11 series OSUT. It's something I didn't notice in my female counterparts (and some males) during my time as a 25 series when i originally enlisted, and served as for the first 5 years of my service. I believe the head shaving is one small part of that difference.

The reason for the "buzz cut" is to begin the transition into a military mindset...I PERSONALLY see no harm with women being "shaved" like the guys...I have a niece who REQUESTED a buzz cut in Basic...she got it with a lot of strange looks...she swore it helped her mindset to be more focused. Now she is a Sergeant...all within 2 1/2 years. She now keeps a short version of the Julie Andrews's haircut from Sound of Music !!! Wash and go !!!!

There were 3 options for haircuts upon induction into the military; #1, #2, and #3. A haircut was mandatory, not a shaved head. None of the options were preferred but they did allow you to distinguish a shaved head from keeping hair on your head. All 3 were quick and simple and personally, I say a shaved head took longer than the others. The women were more to office personnel and kitchen during my tenure while the door was open for their entry during that time. I did see a female NCO and CO during field duty at permanent party and one of my CO's during basic was a female, all of them had a full head of hair.

Not real sure when shaving heads became something done. It was not done in the early seventies when I was a trainee ??????

I had always thought when I was in boot camp, in 1972, it was to lessen the possibility of anyone getting head lice. I still imagine that could be the case.

I responded that only males should have their heads shaved. WOmen should have their hair trimmed if necessary to meet military standards. This is based on cultural norms, both in society and in the military. A person should not be forced to totally give up their gender identity because they join the military. Women tend to wear their hair longer than men. It's a thing; has pretty much always been a thing. Uniform cuts are different, APFT standards are different, boot sizes are different, men and women are different. This is all OK, because after all, it's performance that counts.

Real sick of the "lets be equal in every aspect" crowd, because were not! Something to be said about traditions in the service and being bald along with everyone else is part of that.

The question itself highlight the utter hypocrisy intrinsic in the female infection of the military.

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.....

Originally the head shaving was to ensure no lice. Recruits come from every state, ethnic background, and income level.

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.

Equal rights are equal rights. "Army of One !!!!!"
Discrimination is a two way street....

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....

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.

Why not they want to be treated as equal tit for tat.

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.

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.

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...