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

We had females forced to shave their head in Basic. I think that all policies should incoporate equality, the reason for the hair shortness is due to lice and other things being passed. The haircuts reduce this problem therefore both males and females should follow regimen.

Well hell, while they are at it, just lower the PFT too. I mean, make it a gender neutral PFT. Like, hang from the bar for 70sec for 100pts. So, the weak can hack it. Yeah, I'm the bad guy.
Are you eye F*****g me?! Do you want to ask me out for a date?! Do you...
(You almost had it! One more second and you would have passed! Screw that 20 pull ups for 100 pts. Who the hell can do that anyway? Is that haircut regulation? You folks look like a bunch of dam Hippies with that long hair. I bet you have been bad mouthing your country!)...

Both Must shave their heads !

Political correctness will get soldiers killed in combat...Obama ordered the military to put females in highly dangerous stressful combat rolls but ordered the military to keep the present two standard for men and women...The physical requirement for females going thru basic training is easier than for males........

I think that if the males can have there hair cut, which they absolutely should, the females should have their hair cut just as short. The exact same. Equality. If there is a reason to do it to males, the same reason applies to females. If the reason does not apply to females, it should not apply to males. It is ONLY hair. It will either grow back or it will not. As a man rapidly closing on 50, and suffering from 'male pattern baldness', and all the feminist rhetoric in the world, I have no sympathy for females. None at all.

Technically it's not shaved heads. The Drill Sergeant is trying to confirm us to his will. To take the civilian our of us!

I am a female and during BCT I had to stand at the back of the males line at the barbershop to keep my hair within Regulation. There was one other female who kept her hair as short as I did. We kept each other up through all the dumb snickers and jokes—like the guys couldn’t fathom having to share a chair with a female. We would come out like the heroes in the end though, cause we actually did it! That was how much we cared about the uniform, the job, and the standard. We did it, not because we thought it was funny, but because we had to, AND if nothing else, IT DOES GROW BACK. Big deal for a little while.

When I was in the Army I noticed that EVERY post that conducted Basic Training there were people(mostly men)running around with camouflage make-up & shaved heads..

Female regulation hair (as I recall!)is it can't be worn longer than the bottom of the collar, but it CAN be pinned up to that level. Males must have their hair tapered "off the ears, off the collar in back & out of the eyes"!

SDG V Michelle Woods, I fail to see how your comment has any credibility. What’s good for one should be good for all.

Why aren't Officer candidates head ever shaved?

In the Air Force "shaved" means shaved. Our Airmen do NOT get shaved haircuts while in Basic Training. They do get a haircut that's close to the skin but it's NOT shaved. In the Air Force, while I was still in, you had to have a medical reason to shave your head hair.

How is shaving a female’s head to match the male standard “equality”? Ok you want equality, grow out your hair and wear it in a bun.

The main benefit of the BCT buzz is that you can get an entire company through the barber in minimal time - everyone gets the same cut, the same way, and it's the absolute simplest/fastest method to do a haircut...

Since very few men would want to do the female equivalent (bun), and the women thus need less frequent haircuts (an extra inch wrapped into the bun is no big deal)... No reason to change it...

In this Jarhead"s oponion, shaving the head serves many purposes. 1) a time saver, both during receiving and during training. 2) uniformity, there was a recruit who's dad was a vice-president at Dole foods, my dad was a foreman at a steel company, Stevens and I looked the same. 3) tradition, the "yellow foot prints", the shaved head, getting yelled at before we even got off the bus, referring to yourself in the third person, catching hell for being a "generational" recruit!
Should recruits get their heads shaved? Yes!

Shaved heads for women, next step is bras and sanitary napkins for men?

The military doesn't want just amazing men to serve. They also want amazing, strong, dedicated ladies. We shouldn't have to look like a man to be an excellent military member. We are females, and we should look like females. We'll still be amazing!!

When I went through BCT I hated the female hair standards. Gelling my hair down every single day in a tight bun I wasn't used to hurt so bad. I felt like I was never in the proper standard anyway. Once I got to AIT and found out I would be wearing my kevlar for weeks on end, I cut all my hair off. I had the slickest fade. I loved it. Now of course this is not the first time I had cut my hair, so I didn't have the same unhealthy attachment to my hair most females do. However I do think it not only made my training a little less painful but it did feel like a total reform of me as a person. I feel the shaving of heads would benefit both Male and Female.

There are only a couple of months to take hundred of individuals, break them down to a new realization of becoming part of a team. We lost our first OCS ... Masters degree Candidate, drop out at the haircut line.

When I went through basic 1975, we had the option of getting a butch cut or short military standards, no shaving of the head was allowed a soldier did that on his own and hazed by the DS for days. As far as equal rights equality etc. etc. females get the same opinion as well and do away with female standards on the PT test as well,

Tradition? I suppose so. I would hope a "we're all in this together" attitude's in the mix too. When reading this post, I got a mental picture of D.I.'s waiting in the company street while the trainees run their blow dryers and apply hair gel so they'd look just right for morning PT. Seriously, I believe the other reason men go "whitewall" as we called it back in the day, and women don't has to do with their career path. Men are overwhelmingly in combat arms. Now, before the sisterhood falls on me like an old building, I know there are women who've completed jump school, officer infantry training, and Ranger school. Good for them and any others who try. But let's be honest, most are in support outfits. Unit cohesiveness is an important element everywhere, but especially combat arms, where lives are on the line every time you go outside the wire, (or the FOB as you younger soldiers call it). For what it's worth, I've been out 50 years and I still go high & tight. It's one less thing to deal with in the morning, and I'm too old to be making any fashion statements.

Honestly, none of military life, starting from boot camp, seemed real to me, it was “fake”. Shaving my head did absolutely nothing for me other than be a nuisance, so from my viewpoint, it’s all just tradition.

Shaved heads for the men and short to shaved for the women its not as much about making everyone equal as it is a training factor. More time training less time at the PX, BX, Snack bar. We got our Hair cut twice in BCT once on arrival and once a graduation. You were ready to ship on Graduation day, no fuss and muss. Now we have Soldiers wanting to grow Beards is that not unequal? Women can't grow Beards. The shaving of heads does Help with scalp problems as well, As For the females short or shaved the one thing I would say is if they go in with long hair cut it short or shaved donate it to locks of Love.

If you want equality then I can go to the dark side but I think most folks will realize that you can never have true Equality with men and women mixed in the Military. I think a lot of times we have a tendency to over think things that would be better off left alone. JMHO

Equal is as equal does, duh!

Ain't got time to be messing with hair in basic training. I barely had time to shit shower and shave, let alone messing with grooming hair too. Your being trained to kill people and blow stuff up while keeping your fellow soldiers alive and in the fight. You are being trained to act and carry yourself as a soldier. You're not there to have a fashion show. You'll have plenty of time to style your hair at permanent party or AIT or whatever it's called today. It is a volunteer Army, that's true. If you don't want your head shaved, don't volunteer. Next it will be, "Why do we have to wear the same clothes?" or "Why can't I have seventeen facial piercings in uniform?" Hair is a small issue and it being shaved is only during basic, a short period of time. It also helps for if someone arrives to basic training with a head full of lice or other vermin.

Out.

AHHHHH THE BASIC HAIR CUT!
HAVING JOINED THE ARMY RESERVES IN DEC 1963 , WITH THE DRAFT ON MY HEELS, EARLY MARCH 1964 I STARTED BASIC TRAINING AT FT LOUSY WOODS MO!
THOSE DAYS THE STANDARD BASIC TRAINING
CUT WAS BARE SIDES AND A LITTLE LEFT ON TOP, MAYBE 1/4" MAXIMUM!
PREVIOUSLY I WORE MY HAIR FAIRLY LONG!
AFTER GETTING THIS HAIRCUT I WANTED TO TAKE IT FARTHER! AT THIS TIME WE HAD A TV SHOW CALLED "KOJAK" , STARRING TELLY SAVALAS. IN THIS ROLE HE WAS COMPLETELY BALD, PLAYING THE ROLE OF A DETECTIVE/COP! WHILE WATCHING THE SHOWS I WONDERED HOW I WOULD LOOK TOTALLY BALD! AND NOW HERE I WAS IN THE RECEPTION AREA WITH A HAIRCUT VERY CLOSE TO THAT LOOK ANYWAY!
SO I GOT RAZOR AND SHAVING CREAM AND TOOK THE REST OFF! A FRIEND HELPED ME WITH A FEW SMALL PATCHES, AND THE JOB WAS DONE! I DID HAVE SOME REAL FUN WITH MY NEW LOOK HOWEVER!
A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER A NEW(ER) RECRUIT SHOWED UP RECEPTION WHO WAS AN OBVIOUS BEATLES FAN AS HE WAS WEARING LONG HAIR AND CLOTHING IN THE BEATLES STYLE, 100%!!
BEING THAT I AM A REDNECK KS FARM BOY THAT CARED NOTHING FOR THE BEATLES I FED HIM MY STORY! I TOLD HIM THAT I TOO, CAME TO LOUSY WOODS WITH A BEATLES SUIT AND HAIRCUT! THEN THEY MADE ME STRIP NAKED IN FRONT OF EVERYONE,
DRY SHAVED MY HEAD, THEN I HAD TO BURN MY BEATLES CLOTHES WHILE EVERY ONE WATCHED! BEATLES BOY LOOKED LIKE HE CRAPPED HIS PANTS AND WAS ABOUT TO CRY!! A COUPLE OF MY FRIENDS BACKED MY STORY AS WELL!! I NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN AND WONDERED HOW HIS NEXT FEW DAYS WENT! RIGHT AFTER THAT I WENT TO OUR BASIC COMPANY, AND OUR PLATOON SGT
SAW MY HAIRCUT AND THOUGHT I WAS A RAH-RAH ROMPING STOMPING TROOPER TYPE! IT TOOK ME SEVERAL WEEKS TO PROVE OTHERWISE TO HIM! I WAS ONLY WANTING TO BURN DAYS TILL I GOT OUT!!

As a former Drill and I believe someone who makes decisions on based on reality & common sense, rather then if it’s going to hurt a few people’s feelings.
First, I’d bet money the MAIN reason they first decided to SHAVE Soldier’s heads upon entering the Military for training was Personal Hygiene reasons!
You have hundreds of guys coming from all walks of life about to live and train in close proximity of each other and hair can harbor Lice, Nits, Dandruff, plus infectious skin diseases from Oils and Dead Skin Cell’s if not washed regularly.
This is also another reason why we have Hair standards after entry, not JUST for uniformity. Which honestly the Regulation and Leaders discretion gives so much Lead way you have infantry Pvt’s walking around looking like they got a Boot Brush on top their head almost a Mohawk with hardly ZERO TAPER, then you got guys in PAC with bangs so long they literally must trim them right above their eyebrows so they can say “it’s with in Reg Sarge” but with Ldrs doing the same it doesn’t help MSG’s and WO’s looking like Porn Stars with excessive Side Burns and Pervy Mustaches, then the certain Senior NCO’s with Real or Hair extensions that are up in a BULKY Bun that they got to buy Headgear like 4 sizes bigger to extend out back over their EXCESSIVE Hair and then it still tilts down in the front because the hair is pushing it up in the back, and don’t get me started on those crazy hair Un-Natural hair Colors!
Finally, the other “simple” reason is time restraint, when you have time restraints and need to push hundreds of troops a to b you don’t have time for Perms, so you ALL get shaved.

So conclusion Shaving in basic is NOT HAZING and Hair Regulations in General are not just for uniformity, but for HYGIENE, after all you are in the MILITARY and “supposedly” a fighting force where EVERY Soldier regardless of SEX or MOS basic duty is that of a Rifleman and we all qualify on that piece of equipment on how to kill the enemy and should BE PREPARED to go to War by training on your weapon, your specific Duty, and taking care of YOURSELF Physically, staying in shape and yes Good Hygiene washing and cutting your damn hair, brushing your teeth, trimming your nails, SHOWERING, and even safe Sex practices.

I know I ramble that was long, but also my “Personal Opion” thrown in.
I believe Female Hair Regulation should only allow Collar Length, this still gives them some length as I know most female’s want to look more like a Fashion Model then a SOLDIER which is what they signed a Contract for. But limiting to Collar length would stop the excess hair put up when in Uniform. (Which ive seen Fall down BTW in Training and Combat Zone areas even and produces a visual and snagging hazard) Plus this cuts down on excessive Hair in Combat and Field environments where it’s harder to keep longer lengths clean even if kept up in uniform it would still be full of Oil, Dead Skin Cell’s etc.

There are a few things that stabdout on the subject.

1. Males are required to have their hair cut to shortest length by regulation. That is a noguard cut. Shaven heads is technically unauthorized due to health risks.
2. Female ranger candidates are required to cut hair to shortest by reg so why not IETs only fair right?

I say yes they do need to be shaved within reason, but maybe not as drastic as males. The separation needs to be established to maintain dignity and respect. Per AR 670-1, 3-2 explains what is acceptable and short length hair for females is no less the 1/4" to the scalp and no longer then 1". That should be the standard in basic for females.

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...

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.

To take away all that 'swagger' and I'm special thinking. It's a very small part of changing a civilian into a solider. Women have very different grooming standards, however the changes that are required of them in dress and grooming are often just as drastic from their perspective. Head lice is a problem in 4 star hotels, God knows a barracks can become a nasty place quickly, close quarters and all. Never agreed with joint basic training units, you soften the men to allow women integrated training. Either the standards are the same, or the training suffers.

The requirement for shaving heads goes back to the public health concerns of housing large groups of people from disparate backgrounds with questionable hygiene practices prior to arriving. Hair and body lice are easily stopped by shaving heads, showering, and taking away infested clothing. (Sounds like day 1 of basic training). Females were always treated like queens. Time to treat them equally. Haircuts for all.

If your going to break them in . The both sexes should require equal training .

I believe both males and females should have the option. I asked to have my hair shaved and was told no.

Let's keep one tradition in the military. So many traditions have been taken away based off what society deems as appropriate or equal. I have been a firm believer in the military separating themselves from our civilian counterparts. Theres a reason why most take a hard look in the mirror before they join. I've already seen some compromises the military has made beginning to spiral out of control. Leave things alone.

When I was in Basic (1971) we had a choice of shaved or 3”s. Most opted for shave!