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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Sigh.

If one of my soldiers ever initiated this conversation I would make the leadership decision that idle time has led to an idle mind and find them something to do.
CPL Wayne Watts
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Dam I hate it when this phone changes my words and thinks it is smarter than I sm! In the post below "silver" should be "sulphur" , "NIW" should be "Now" and a bunch of other craps this phone put in!#
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CPL Wayne Watts
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The shaved heads are done to ensure no headlicecor other critters came with you to Basic Training. It was started before females were allowed in the Army and has just never been looked at since. NIW you can make all recruits wash their hair with silver or some other critter killer to have the same effect. I would say if males were forced to shave heads so should females. You cannot pick and choose what parts of "equal treatment" you want - it must be all or nothing.
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Sgt William Parker
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Ok so first off, the shaved heads for males are a means of taking away individuality which most ppl express thru clothes and hairstyle both of which are removed and made uniform. The purpose at least for the Corps when I went thru was to break down entirely your sense of self as an individual. For the females, they are required to have hair that, if left down doe not touch the shoulder or must be able to be put up in a bun of some type and not interfere with the wearing of a cover. The reasons why females do not have shaved heads i believe goes back to the simple fact that women don't keep their hair close cropped as men do. Its an empathetic consideration in my opinion to female specific needs and preferences while not impacting ideas of equality. Females also tend to find more time for hygiene like at Marine recruit training, each evening we wwre given 1 hour of "SDI time" to write home, organize our stuff and socialize with other platoon members. Males do not put as much attention into hygiene as females and i believe studies or polls were taken that showed females used this time much more often for additional personal hygeine. This fights against stuff like lice from a sanitary standpoint while males its easier to shave heads to combat this possible issue.
Other respects are considered as well. At the end of recruit training we were allowed to get a high and tight, which makes having a LITTLE bit of that individuality back as a reward while still remaining part of the team.
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SSgt Daniel d'Errico
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First, it is not "shaving" off of hair. Your hair is cut down to peach fuzz length. Fine stubble that still indicates you have hair. Its entertaining is to create "equality but to also help identify any medical issues like lice. Females in the military want equality, so let them get the same hair cut in basic training. Then follow the standards as men.
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1SG Steven Fisher
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Hair grows back young troop and if you want to look at it this way. Females have a heck of a harder time than male troops, they have standards as well. There hair has to be up all the time. All you have to do is roll out of the rack. If your crying about this now what else are you going to cry about? Then go ahead and get out, real troops don’t need someone who cry’s about everything under the sun, you won’t be trusted by your peers. That’s a fact.
US Army 1st Sgt. Retired
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SPC James Dixon
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It is for transition from civilian to Soldier. Also hygiene requirements. As for the female thing yes I believe all genders should have to shave their heads minus religious exception. Not religious myself but we have agreed as a country to have a separation between government and religion.
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SGT Tim Tobin
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It should be universal from a hygiene standpoint. Folks are coming from the civilian world and will be in close contact with fellow troops. I can’t tell you how many times I had to treat critters on troops!!
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CPO John Clapp
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When I enlisted in 1962, we were told that ir was to make sure we were not smuggling in head lice.
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LTC Zachary Hubbard
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Both males and females should have their heads shaved if any at all.
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LTC Zachary Hubbard
LTC Zachary Hubbard
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And let's talk again about females registering for the draft!
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I like the idea of shave them all, but I always assumed it was for hygiene reasons.
1SG Charles Simpson
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When I started my army career, head shaving was a court martial offense. The haircut regulation was very strictly enforced for everyone in those days and we need to get back into the habit of doing so these days. The maximum and minimum length of the hair should be exactly the same for both genders and head shaving should again be a court martial offense
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CPT Assistant Brigade Intelligence Officer (S2)
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While my gut reaction is everyone should be forced to shave their heads, because it's part of the soldierification (There's my Bush Jr. scrabble word of the day) process - I have to look at this from a recruiting perspective. With the military struggling to make its numbers, and at the same time trying to boot everyone out for not meeting the new PT Standards (though memos released have delayed that catastrophe), making everyone (especially women) shave their heads will reduce otherwise qualified recruits from signing up. I think the right answer is, that everyone gets a card and they get to pick their hair cut from the card.

While we're on the subject... what if a man wants to grow their hair out and put it up in a bun?
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CPT Carolyn Andrews
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If a female don't keep her hair off the collar and with in Military standards, we have to get it cut.
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PO1 Richard Mecom
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double set of standards
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MSG Felipe De Leon Brown
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Shaving the head helps the new recruit transition from the "I/Me" mentality to "We/Us". While for many, women recruits being exempt from the "billiard ball" period is unfair, one of the first things that a new male recruit has to understand is the necessity to be a member of the team. Also, shaved head allowed for detection and elimination of head lice: a problem that still exists in many communities from which many recruits come. Last but not least, the United States Armed Forces have absolutely no need for "Prima Donas" who from Day-1 think that they are better than their fellow trainees/boots. All should still have to get used to being a "maggot, etc." until they have earned the right to be called a Soldier, Sailor, Marine or Airman, etc.
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MAJ Dean Thompson
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Should be the same for all. Either we are all soldiers, or some are not!
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SGT Horacio DeSouza
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Shave head is not mandatory. You shave your head if you want to. Know if you looking to start something your are bucking up the wrong tree. Female also have hair standard they have to follow may not be the same as male but they do have regulation that they have to follow.
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CPL David Hanchett
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I would go a step further, in the name of equality. I don’t say this sarcastically at all. I have served with some amazing female soldiers, and some slugs, just like the guys. One of the biggest things that holds women back in military service is gender norming, how many female PT studs have walked around with that patch in the guys blow it off because “female standards.“ Women are not treated with the same level of respect in the military despite the fact that so many positions normally not available to them now are because they are not held to the same standard. We look at gender norming as something done to be fair to them when in fact all it says is you are different and less capable. If there are to be different standards it should be based on position, MOS, rate what have you. Same goes for the haircut. Do you want to go to infantry OUST, say bye-bye to those luscious locks. Do you want to go be an Air Force cyber spook fine with them keep their hair.
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SPC Greg Campbell
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I had a porn 'stache to beat all porn 'staches. never got called on it. doing your job and being where you were supposed to be. I never got close to anything that had a flame. on a off note, just before I PCSed I shaved it off..... everyone wanted to know who the new guy was.
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