Longer Hair, Earrings, Lipstick: Army modifies some grooming standards

It’s official: As a female soldier, you can grow your hair to any length and wear it in a ponytail or another style, as long as it’s neat, doesn’t go beyond the collar or interfere with headgear or equipment. You can wear stud earrings in the combat uniform if not deployed or in the field, and put on certain shades of lipstick and nail polish.

As a male soldier, you can join your female colleagues in highlighting your hair in a natural color, or using nail polish, as long as it’s clear. But you still must shave your facial hair (unless you have a medical or religious exception).

These are among the appearance and grooming changes the Army added on March 2, 2021, to the newly updated Army Regulation 670-1, Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia, which became effective Feb. 26, 2021. The March 2 additions are an official part of the AR 670-1, but due to timing issues, were tacked onto the official document in an All Army Activities (ALARACT) message.

“I think this is really good for the Army,” said Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston at a Facebook town hall earlier this year, where he previewed the policy changes, which generally apply to the regular Army, Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve. He was accompanied by Sgt. Maj. Brian C. Sanders and Sgt. Maj. Mark Anthony Clark of the Uniform Policy Branch.

“These (standards) aren’t about male and female,” Grinston insisted. “This is about an Army standard and how we move forward with the Army and being a more diverse, inclusive team.”

Retaining female service members

Nevertheless, many of the changes appear aimed at improving recruitment and retention of female soldiers, who make up about 18% of the 1.01 million member Army, but exit at higher rates than male soldiers. A May 2020 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the likelihood of separation for female service members across service branches is 28% higher than that of males. Factors cited for leaving include child care, family planning, organizational culture, sexual assault and work schedules.

GAO recommended that the Department of Defense develop performance-based plans to improve female recruitment and retention, and DOD agreed.

In the area of child care, the AR 670-1 makes it clear:
· You can breastfeed on federal property.
· You can now wear an optional T-shirt to breastfeed or pump.
· You can unzip or remove the Army combat uniform coat to breastfeed.
· You can remove the coat and unbutton the shirt of the Army service uniform, Army green service uniform or mess uniform as needed to breastfeed.
· As you breastfeed, you don’t need to cover up yourself or your child with additional items.

Grinston commended the diverse group of soldiers for suggesting the changes to leaders and for serving on the panel that considered and voted to approve the recommendations, which he said senior leaders accepted.

The process, Grinston said, broadened his outlook. “I used to say, ‘We’re all soldiers. I just see green,’” he said. “What I learned, even throughout myself, is that when you say that you don’t see me as a soldier.”

Promoting wellness and readiness

Some policy changes were based on the advice of experts in behavioral health, dermatology and other areas. For instance, Sanders said the panel found that previous rules requiring female soldiers to create buns from short hair led some to suffer hair damage or develop alopecia, which can lead to severe hair loss. Readiness was at issue in allowing long ponytails under certain conditions, Grinston said, by letting females fit helmets more snugly.

Additional changes promote diversity and inclusion by standardizing terminology in grooming and appearance, removing potentially offensive words to describe appearance such as mohawk or Fu Manchu, and allowing accents and hyphens to nameplates.

Other revisions to AR 670-1 include:

· Authorizing the carrying of bags, handbags, purses and backpacks and allowing combat uniform sleeves to be rolled up.
· Adding the Improved Hot Weather Combat Uniform as an authorized uniform.
· Implementing policy for the new Army green service uniform.
· Adding guidance on wearing of shoulder sleeve insignia for distinctive unit and military operations in hostile conditions.

Keeping the no-beard policy

With more than 100,000 signatories to a change.org petition asking the Army to allow facial hair in a garrison environment, Grinston was asked if male soldiers will be allowed to grow beards.

Although he said this “is not one of the things we looked at” in this review, Grinston reminded leaders that there are valid, authorized exceptions to the no-beard rule.

“If there is an exception to policy to have a beard, there should be no leader out there telling a soldier to shave,” he said. “We have to be better than that.”

Learn more

· Access a U.S. Army page with answers to questions and additional resources on the grooming standards: https://rly.pt/3tY7upw
· Download the AR 670-1, Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia: https://rly.pt/2P0M7oZ
· Download the ALARACT supplemental to the AR 670-1 (CAC access may be required): https://rly.pt/3lYxxKv
· Read the GAO report: https://rly.pt/3w534is
· View the change.org petition about beards: https://rly.pt/3cnEZLZ
· Watch the AR 670-1 town hall: https://rly.pt/3fj0jUL