43
43
0
It’s ironic the U.S. military is the most diverse military force in the world, yet have some policies which reflect the opposite. Specifically, policies that dictate how servicewomen are expected to wear their hair.
Talk is cheap, but policy change, something seemingly as simple as permitting women to wear their hair in braids for better performance, was expensive, time consuming and long-drawn out. This #FreeTheBun hair journey began in 2016 when then Technical Sergeant MSgt (Join to see) “JB” had a discussion with one of his Airmen. His Airmen soon confessed she was struggling with headaches and hair loss due to Air Force hair policy, which expected female Airman to wear their hair up and within strict bulk requirements. Mind you, servicewomen have their hair up every single duty day, not to mention that buns and helmets aren’t conducive. JB relayed this information to his wife, Staff Sergeant Jocelyn Lind, and was astounded when she told him she was also experiencing similar issues due to the out-of-date hair policy. They decided to pursue a change and created the Warrior Braids Project. This team is dedicated to researching and developing solutions to the problems facing women with regards to the hair standards and has over one thousand members! They are led by the Linds, Captain Hailey “FACTR” Garrett, 1st Lieutenant Natasha Monroe, and Senior Airman Emily Stanley-Cruz
In the 1940s, when it was decided women were allowed to serve, there were extensive arguments in society regarding how this pivotal change would impact the general public. There were two main fears these conversations surrounded: women would become lesbians or steal married men from their wives. The service had to mitigate these anxieties by creating uniform policies, which made women appear conventionally pretty enough to not come across as lesbians, but not pretty enough to steal husbands. And with that airtight logic, the bun was born and has been the standard for 70 years.
The bun is highly problematic for medical, operational and inclusivity reasons. A survey conducted by the Women’s Initiative Team (WIT), garnered over 11,000 responses from female Airman that painted this picture. An overwhelming 93% of respondents expressed they felt there needed to be an update to the hair policy for servicewomen. When asked why openly, without referencing medical implications, 56% of servicewomen said they suffered from migraines and headaches. Furthermore, they experienced: traction alopecia, receding hairlines, bald spots, and scalp sensitivity, to name a few. Operationally, it was discovered female Airmen struggled with mission readiness because the equipment didn’t fit properly, which inevitably compromised their safety. Imagine pulling your scalp back tightly, putting a ball on your head then trying to fit a helmet over it. Additionally, race inclusivity was not at the forefront of the conversation in the 40s because simply allowing women to serve was already considered to be a diversifying motion. However, according to data collected by the Office of Diversity by the DoD, in 2016 women of color made up more than 20% of the Air Force’s female population. Women of color have different hair types requiring different levels of care, and restricts them from wearing certain styles without permanent damage, including a bun.
Regardless of the anecdotal and quantitative evidence JB collected over the years, which proved how multi-problematic the hair regulation was, policy change demonstrated to be a massive obstacle. In fact, it took about five years and relentless tenacity from multiple parties to get this change approved. Despite years of: collecting data, making cold phone calls, going through the chain of command four times and being turned away every time, JB and Jocelyn refused to let up. Jocelyn created and organized a document containing all of the data they had been collecting over the years. Capt Garrett bridged their efforts to the WIT when she sent 1st Lt (Join to see) that document. In early 2020, Montana expressed her concerns with female hair policy with members of the WIT leadership, Maj Alea Nadeem and Captain Sarah Berheide. In 2018, Montana had been disqualified from being a pilot in the Air Force after she was diagnosed with migraines herself. After recognizing this was a problem across the Air Force and ultimately voicing her concerns with the hair policy, Alea, Sarah, and Montana started their own initiative within the WIT that was aimed at addressing the hair policy for women in the Air Force.
The combination of these two entities, the WIT and the Warrior Braids team, was the surge of force the #FreeTheBun movement needed. They collectively recognized getting a seat at the table was hard enough and asking someone to pass the salt, even if it meant they would be able to do their job better, was going to be difficult. Eventually, these two teams found themselves discussing this proposal in the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force’s office where they finally felt their concerns for the change were being acknowledged and having Lt Gen Mary O’Brien, the senior WIT champion back the teams up as they moved this initiative.
Nevertheless, the dedication and work ethic over five years was prominent during every single step of the way which is how the bun was finally freed. From the grassroots all the way up to senior leadership, the WIT, along with the Warrior Braids team exemplified what senior leaders ask of their Airmen. It truly was the epitome of a team effort; each member spoke incredibly highly of each other and maintained that this policy change would not have happened without one another. The 5 years of collecting data JB and Jocelyn put in, the countless hours of work (even while on leave) Montana undertook to sort through the thousands of survey responses they received, the networking and cold calls/emails Sarah sent to Air Force Generals (eventually collecting 39 letters of support), and the fearlessness Alea demonstrated while leading the team refusing to take no as an answer is just a small look into the mountainous effort it took for this change to come to fruition.
This was a big change and a needed change. It is a testimony that change happens from the bottom up, and it is possible to make a real difference in thousands of lives. Moving forward, they’re not done. Although the new policy is a major step in the right direction, there needs to be more steps to attain full inclusivity as some women can’t participate in this change without cutting their hair. The WIT hopes the hair policy change will inspire other Airmen to challenge problematic standards and action it. Furthermore, they hope this advancement will inspire others to push for changes and challenge policies that limit servicemembers from doing their jobs to the best of their ability. Here’s to, no hairs to, the future!
Talk is cheap, but policy change, something seemingly as simple as permitting women to wear their hair in braids for better performance, was expensive, time consuming and long-drawn out. This #FreeTheBun hair journey began in 2016 when then Technical Sergeant MSgt (Join to see) “JB” had a discussion with one of his Airmen. His Airmen soon confessed she was struggling with headaches and hair loss due to Air Force hair policy, which expected female Airman to wear their hair up and within strict bulk requirements. Mind you, servicewomen have their hair up every single duty day, not to mention that buns and helmets aren’t conducive. JB relayed this information to his wife, Staff Sergeant Jocelyn Lind, and was astounded when she told him she was also experiencing similar issues due to the out-of-date hair policy. They decided to pursue a change and created the Warrior Braids Project. This team is dedicated to researching and developing solutions to the problems facing women with regards to the hair standards and has over one thousand members! They are led by the Linds, Captain Hailey “FACTR” Garrett, 1st Lieutenant Natasha Monroe, and Senior Airman Emily Stanley-Cruz
In the 1940s, when it was decided women were allowed to serve, there were extensive arguments in society regarding how this pivotal change would impact the general public. There were two main fears these conversations surrounded: women would become lesbians or steal married men from their wives. The service had to mitigate these anxieties by creating uniform policies, which made women appear conventionally pretty enough to not come across as lesbians, but not pretty enough to steal husbands. And with that airtight logic, the bun was born and has been the standard for 70 years.
The bun is highly problematic for medical, operational and inclusivity reasons. A survey conducted by the Women’s Initiative Team (WIT), garnered over 11,000 responses from female Airman that painted this picture. An overwhelming 93% of respondents expressed they felt there needed to be an update to the hair policy for servicewomen. When asked why openly, without referencing medical implications, 56% of servicewomen said they suffered from migraines and headaches. Furthermore, they experienced: traction alopecia, receding hairlines, bald spots, and scalp sensitivity, to name a few. Operationally, it was discovered female Airmen struggled with mission readiness because the equipment didn’t fit properly, which inevitably compromised their safety. Imagine pulling your scalp back tightly, putting a ball on your head then trying to fit a helmet over it. Additionally, race inclusivity was not at the forefront of the conversation in the 40s because simply allowing women to serve was already considered to be a diversifying motion. However, according to data collected by the Office of Diversity by the DoD, in 2016 women of color made up more than 20% of the Air Force’s female population. Women of color have different hair types requiring different levels of care, and restricts them from wearing certain styles without permanent damage, including a bun.
Regardless of the anecdotal and quantitative evidence JB collected over the years, which proved how multi-problematic the hair regulation was, policy change demonstrated to be a massive obstacle. In fact, it took about five years and relentless tenacity from multiple parties to get this change approved. Despite years of: collecting data, making cold phone calls, going through the chain of command four times and being turned away every time, JB and Jocelyn refused to let up. Jocelyn created and organized a document containing all of the data they had been collecting over the years. Capt Garrett bridged their efforts to the WIT when she sent 1st Lt (Join to see) that document. In early 2020, Montana expressed her concerns with female hair policy with members of the WIT leadership, Maj Alea Nadeem and Captain Sarah Berheide. In 2018, Montana had been disqualified from being a pilot in the Air Force after she was diagnosed with migraines herself. After recognizing this was a problem across the Air Force and ultimately voicing her concerns with the hair policy, Alea, Sarah, and Montana started their own initiative within the WIT that was aimed at addressing the hair policy for women in the Air Force.
The combination of these two entities, the WIT and the Warrior Braids team, was the surge of force the #FreeTheBun movement needed. They collectively recognized getting a seat at the table was hard enough and asking someone to pass the salt, even if it meant they would be able to do their job better, was going to be difficult. Eventually, these two teams found themselves discussing this proposal in the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force’s office where they finally felt their concerns for the change were being acknowledged and having Lt Gen Mary O’Brien, the senior WIT champion back the teams up as they moved this initiative.
Nevertheless, the dedication and work ethic over five years was prominent during every single step of the way which is how the bun was finally freed. From the grassroots all the way up to senior leadership, the WIT, along with the Warrior Braids team exemplified what senior leaders ask of their Airmen. It truly was the epitome of a team effort; each member spoke incredibly highly of each other and maintained that this policy change would not have happened without one another. The 5 years of collecting data JB and Jocelyn put in, the countless hours of work (even while on leave) Montana undertook to sort through the thousands of survey responses they received, the networking and cold calls/emails Sarah sent to Air Force Generals (eventually collecting 39 letters of support), and the fearlessness Alea demonstrated while leading the team refusing to take no as an answer is just a small look into the mountainous effort it took for this change to come to fruition.
This was a big change and a needed change. It is a testimony that change happens from the bottom up, and it is possible to make a real difference in thousands of lives. Moving forward, they’re not done. Although the new policy is a major step in the right direction, there needs to be more steps to attain full inclusivity as some women can’t participate in this change without cutting their hair. The WIT hopes the hair policy change will inspire other Airmen to challenge problematic standards and action it. Furthermore, they hope this advancement will inspire others to push for changes and challenge policies that limit servicemembers from doing their jobs to the best of their ability. Here’s to, no hairs to, the future!
Policy
Uniforms
Military History
Equality
Women in the Military
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 30
3
3
0
Sorry, but the Military is one of the most biased and discriminatory Occupations. To be in after witnessing what men have to do to perform their jobs vs Females in the military. I served 20 years plus and the exceptions women get vs men is despicable in my opinion. Starting off, men must have their heads cut to basically a shave when entering boot camp. They say it’s for uniformity and fir health and hygienic reasons. But females just had to keep their hair up off their collar. So right off the bat unequal rights, but still same pay. The PT test is another example of discrimination of men vs women. Yeah, Doctors say women are built differently. So they get to have a way lenient standard for passing the PT test. Which I say is again being discriminated against men. So both men and women doing exact same job. Requires lifting of an object, say in a motor pool. Object can’t be picked up due to that the females strength is too weak to get the job done. So another male soldier had to step in order to get the job accomplished. Whereas the female then just stands by as the two males pickup the heavy object. Yet both are paid the same monthly pay for their respective ranks. Now women are allowed to become Infantry soldiers. Male soldier gets wounded, female must carry male soldier to safety, but can’t pickup male soldier, because the female doesn’t have the strength to do it. So male soldier either stays in harms way and dies from injuries. Or another Male soldier comes in and rescues male soldier from danger zone. But in actuality, both male and female soldiers could have both been killed in action. All because female couldn’t carry the male to safety. So they both stay in the danger zone, because no other male soldiers are nearby to help.
It’s not a being pretty contest either, makes don’t wear makeup while in uniform or wear earrings either, so females should not be allowed to wear them either. Equal pay for the exact same job = equal job performance for same rank personnel and uniformity while in uniform.
I’m retired now and glad I am, because the military has turned into a sexist Military where being a male is such a disadvantage now. I served 8 years of my time in the Infantry and in no way shape or form would I have ever wanted a female to be serving with me during a War while serving in the Infantry.
It’s not a being pretty contest either, makes don’t wear makeup while in uniform or wear earrings either, so females should not be allowed to wear them either. Equal pay for the exact same job = equal job performance for same rank personnel and uniformity while in uniform.
I’m retired now and glad I am, because the military has turned into a sexist Military where being a male is such a disadvantage now. I served 8 years of my time in the Infantry and in no way shape or form would I have ever wanted a female to be serving with me during a War while serving in the Infantry.
(3)
(0)
3
3
0
They've been telling men how to wear their hair for many years RallyPoint Shared Content I feel that men should be able to have beards and longer hair.
(3)
(0)
3
3
0
2
2
0
I made up the following questionnaire to weed out candidates who seek your endorsement, but who supported political views exemplified by the Trumpster and Qanon believers.
26 incidents of "unwanted sexual contact" by the Trumpster and 43 instances of inappropriate behavior were detailed in the book, All the President's Women: Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator. https://www.businessinsider.com/women-accused-trump-sexual-misconduct-list-2017-12?fbclid=IwAR1h75H0hHZhlxGb4eDzmCOf4wYDB2svhBJ-PfPkoXoHm3JRiNiDGPjhmNc#jessica-leeds-1
Former White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, has told friends that President Donald Trump "is the most flawed person" he's ever known. Trump can't stand to hear the Truth! He lies, steals & cheats! He has 2000+ court cases awaiting him as a defendant! His dishonesty is the transactional nature of every relationship.
Where do you stand on these issues?
And of course, you and candidates should feel free to explain their answer(s). And even refusing to answer some questions may tell us a lot about the candidate.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you believe we are will never run out of CHEAP oil and natural gas?
Do you believe scientists are wrong about global warming being a very serious threat and the cause is not man-made?
Do you believe the population growth is nothing to worry about?
Do you believe only three bullets were fired at President Kennedy and Lee Oswald fired all three?
Do you believe people have actually seen an alien being or a space ship (aka UFOs from out-space); notwithstanding that people have seen strange things/lights in the sky that are unexplained?
Do you believe that the US government has recovered parts of an alien out-space craft, that aliens brought technology to earth and that is the reason we humans now have it?
Do you believe human civilizations in the past gained advanced technologically that science has only discovered in the past 100 years?
Do you believe that Nikola Tesla invented unlimited, free energy and the energy producing, companies are keeping it secret?
Do you believe that people can somehow predict the future, communicate with dead people, and/or read other people's thoughts?
Do you believe that there may be real ghosts and demons that make people crazy, aka “demonic possessed”?
Do you believe that the US did not really land a man on the moon and/or 12 Americans did not really walked on the moon?
Do you believe our elections can be faked or hacked even if the exit polls results agree statistically with the election results?
Are you troubled by the fact that Nancy Pelosi did not publically speak up after she learned in about 30 private briefings that Bush and the boys were planning to use torture?
Do you believe the Democratic led Congress was wrong for not prosecuting of Bush et al for war crimes, for allowing Gina Haspel to become CIA Director, and for not prosecuting CIA officer Jose Rodriguez for destroying the video tapes of CIA torture?
Are you troubled about all the past presidents who have made war on other nations without a Congressional declaration for war and Obama doing drone attacks (aka a war on terrorism)?
Do you believe economic sanctions placed on other nations by presidents should require a Congressional declaration of war by sanctions?
Do you believe a President Trump should have gotten a Congressional declaration to sell weapons to nations like Saudi Arabia given their war against Yemen and after they killed a US journalist?
Do you believe on 9/11 that all three of the World Trade Center buildings totally collapsed to ground level only due to airplanes and office fires?
Do you believe it is freedom of speech for corporations to give money to candidates?
Do you believe that the holocaust of the Jews did not happen?
Do you believe that our national income tax is unconstitutional?
Do you believe that low levels of fluoride used to prevent tooth decay in our drinking water, is poisoning people?
Do you believe vaccines cause autism?
Do you believe depleted uranium weapons used by the US military did not harm civilians during the wars and long after the wars end?
Do you agree we are in a war on science?
Do you believe we need a new law called “assessor to a pandemic” to punish sheriffs who violates the order of our Governor for social distancing and etc?
Do you believe we need a new law authorizing the Secretary of Defense and/or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to protect the Congress and US Supreme Court Justices from a rioting mob if the President does not act?
Shouldn't we be asking every candidate these questions, even candidates for judge?
What other questions do suggest we should be asking?
My answers are all NO except for:
Are you troubled by the fact that Nancy Pelosi speak up publicly after she was briefed in about 30 private briefings that Bush and the boys were planning to use torture. YES
Do you believe the Democratic led Congress was wrong for not prosecuting of Bush et al for war crimes, for allowing Gina Haspel to become CIA Director, and for not prosecuting CIA officer Jose Rodriguez for destroying the video tapes of CIA torture? YES
Are you troubled about all the past presidents who have made war on other nations without a declaration for war by Congress or by Obama’s drone attacks, aka war on terrorism? YES
Do you believe economic sanctions placed on another nations by presidents need to require a declaration of war by sanctions by Congress? YES
Do you believe a President Trump should have gotten a Congressional “declaration to sell weapons” to nations like Saudi Arabia due to their war against Yemen and after it killed a US journalist? YES
Do you agree we are in a war on science? YES
Do you believe we need a new law called “assessor to a pandemic” to punish sheriffs who violate the orders of our Governor? YES
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stay safe,
Richard McManus
Chief Warrant Officer-3/counterintelligence special agent (more like an FBI agent than CIA officer) and combat paramedic/LPN, Vietnam US Army retired, BS psychology and nursing, ,former 911 telephone guy Seattle police department and King County Police officer, Everett, WA
26 incidents of "unwanted sexual contact" by the Trumpster and 43 instances of inappropriate behavior were detailed in the book, All the President's Women: Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator. https://www.businessinsider.com/women-accused-trump-sexual-misconduct-list-2017-12?fbclid=IwAR1h75H0hHZhlxGb4eDzmCOf4wYDB2svhBJ-PfPkoXoHm3JRiNiDGPjhmNc#jessica-leeds-1
Former White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, has told friends that President Donald Trump "is the most flawed person" he's ever known. Trump can't stand to hear the Truth! He lies, steals & cheats! He has 2000+ court cases awaiting him as a defendant! His dishonesty is the transactional nature of every relationship.
Where do you stand on these issues?
And of course, you and candidates should feel free to explain their answer(s). And even refusing to answer some questions may tell us a lot about the candidate.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you believe we are will never run out of CHEAP oil and natural gas?
Do you believe scientists are wrong about global warming being a very serious threat and the cause is not man-made?
Do you believe the population growth is nothing to worry about?
Do you believe only three bullets were fired at President Kennedy and Lee Oswald fired all three?
Do you believe people have actually seen an alien being or a space ship (aka UFOs from out-space); notwithstanding that people have seen strange things/lights in the sky that are unexplained?
Do you believe that the US government has recovered parts of an alien out-space craft, that aliens brought technology to earth and that is the reason we humans now have it?
Do you believe human civilizations in the past gained advanced technologically that science has only discovered in the past 100 years?
Do you believe that Nikola Tesla invented unlimited, free energy and the energy producing, companies are keeping it secret?
Do you believe that people can somehow predict the future, communicate with dead people, and/or read other people's thoughts?
Do you believe that there may be real ghosts and demons that make people crazy, aka “demonic possessed”?
Do you believe that the US did not really land a man on the moon and/or 12 Americans did not really walked on the moon?
Do you believe our elections can be faked or hacked even if the exit polls results agree statistically with the election results?
Are you troubled by the fact that Nancy Pelosi did not publically speak up after she learned in about 30 private briefings that Bush and the boys were planning to use torture?
Do you believe the Democratic led Congress was wrong for not prosecuting of Bush et al for war crimes, for allowing Gina Haspel to become CIA Director, and for not prosecuting CIA officer Jose Rodriguez for destroying the video tapes of CIA torture?
Are you troubled about all the past presidents who have made war on other nations without a Congressional declaration for war and Obama doing drone attacks (aka a war on terrorism)?
Do you believe economic sanctions placed on other nations by presidents should require a Congressional declaration of war by sanctions?
Do you believe a President Trump should have gotten a Congressional declaration to sell weapons to nations like Saudi Arabia given their war against Yemen and after they killed a US journalist?
Do you believe on 9/11 that all three of the World Trade Center buildings totally collapsed to ground level only due to airplanes and office fires?
Do you believe it is freedom of speech for corporations to give money to candidates?
Do you believe that the holocaust of the Jews did not happen?
Do you believe that our national income tax is unconstitutional?
Do you believe that low levels of fluoride used to prevent tooth decay in our drinking water, is poisoning people?
Do you believe vaccines cause autism?
Do you believe depleted uranium weapons used by the US military did not harm civilians during the wars and long after the wars end?
Do you agree we are in a war on science?
Do you believe we need a new law called “assessor to a pandemic” to punish sheriffs who violates the order of our Governor for social distancing and etc?
Do you believe we need a new law authorizing the Secretary of Defense and/or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to protect the Congress and US Supreme Court Justices from a rioting mob if the President does not act?
Shouldn't we be asking every candidate these questions, even candidates for judge?
What other questions do suggest we should be asking?
My answers are all NO except for:
Are you troubled by the fact that Nancy Pelosi speak up publicly after she was briefed in about 30 private briefings that Bush and the boys were planning to use torture. YES
Do you believe the Democratic led Congress was wrong for not prosecuting of Bush et al for war crimes, for allowing Gina Haspel to become CIA Director, and for not prosecuting CIA officer Jose Rodriguez for destroying the video tapes of CIA torture? YES
Are you troubled about all the past presidents who have made war on other nations without a declaration for war by Congress or by Obama’s drone attacks, aka war on terrorism? YES
Do you believe economic sanctions placed on another nations by presidents need to require a declaration of war by sanctions by Congress? YES
Do you believe a President Trump should have gotten a Congressional “declaration to sell weapons” to nations like Saudi Arabia due to their war against Yemen and after it killed a US journalist? YES
Do you agree we are in a war on science? YES
Do you believe we need a new law called “assessor to a pandemic” to punish sheriffs who violate the orders of our Governor? YES
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stay safe,
Richard McManus
Chief Warrant Officer-3/counterintelligence special agent (more like an FBI agent than CIA officer) and combat paramedic/LPN, Vietnam US Army retired, BS psychology and nursing, ,former 911 telephone guy Seattle police department and King County Police officer, Everett, WA
The 26 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct
Here are all of the allegations of sexual misconduct made against President Donald Trump, nearly all of which he has denied.
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
I find this to be an enlightening discussion, I admit to never really giving the matter any true thought before and find the arguments made here to be not only persuasive but justified.
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
News Flash! Every individual is different. When I graduated from boot camp at 6'2", 200#, I was eligible to be a member of the USMC drill team; my buddy, at 5'0" was not. No matter what SecNav, or some advocates of women in the military would like, even if you put a women in the ill suited modified male uniform, when I look at a formation, some Marines look like Gen. Puller, others look like Beetle Bailey.
Current policy is we have a military composed of women and men. For years, assignments have determined how successful someone will be in the military and not all males, or females, are physically compatible with all assignments. It's time we abandon the fantasy that clothing or grooming will make a person more, or less, capable.
Set the grooming standards to meet military standards. Just because a woman is allowed to have hair that extends to the top of the collar doesn't mean a male should be able to have long hair. Why? Because the regs say so. Hair style in women will gravitate toward logic or safety. A women in the infantry will most likely gravitate toward a shorter hair style because it is easier to maintain. If an aviator or flight crew needs to wear braids to accommodate their helmet, so be it. When she is in a class A uniform, she must be within the regs.
So far as sexual activity is concerned, we have regulations that cover that. In 1982 I discharged a career SNCO because he impregnated a corporal. It was a consensual relationship, but forbidden by regulations, Just because there is a physical attraction, it doesn't mean as a male or female that we should succumb to that. Some people would prefer or like to use addictive substances, but we handle that through appropriate disciplinary or administrative action.
We had a saying during my time in the Corps: "Don't sweat the small stuff." Set the standards, adopt appropriate uniforms, recognize differences in physical requirements, and, just as we did in the past, enforce those standards according to the circumstances and abandon the petty arguments and jealousy.
Current policy is we have a military composed of women and men. For years, assignments have determined how successful someone will be in the military and not all males, or females, are physically compatible with all assignments. It's time we abandon the fantasy that clothing or grooming will make a person more, or less, capable.
Set the grooming standards to meet military standards. Just because a woman is allowed to have hair that extends to the top of the collar doesn't mean a male should be able to have long hair. Why? Because the regs say so. Hair style in women will gravitate toward logic or safety. A women in the infantry will most likely gravitate toward a shorter hair style because it is easier to maintain. If an aviator or flight crew needs to wear braids to accommodate their helmet, so be it. When she is in a class A uniform, she must be within the regs.
So far as sexual activity is concerned, we have regulations that cover that. In 1982 I discharged a career SNCO because he impregnated a corporal. It was a consensual relationship, but forbidden by regulations, Just because there is a physical attraction, it doesn't mean as a male or female that we should succumb to that. Some people would prefer or like to use addictive substances, but we handle that through appropriate disciplinary or administrative action.
We had a saying during my time in the Corps: "Don't sweat the small stuff." Set the standards, adopt appropriate uniforms, recognize differences in physical requirements, and, just as we did in the past, enforce those standards according to the circumstances and abandon the petty arguments and jealousy.
(2)
(0)
1
1
0
If the military really wants to even things out equality wise they should let men grow there hair long just like the women. It seems the women get better response to there complaints on this issue then men. Equality standards should be the same otherwise there is the perception of unfairness against men.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
Always takes way to long to change even the simplest policies. Good Tom see something is being done for this one.
(1)
(0)
0
0
0
I just had my hair cut to 1/8 inch; no problem.
Have I been enough of a smart ass; or do I have to work harder?
Braids OK.
In combat you may want it shorter.
:)
Have I been enough of a smart ass; or do I have to work harder?
Braids OK.
In combat you may want it shorter.
:)
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
I hear the medical and other arguments. However; let's see if we can satisfy both sides of the argument. Men have grooming standards that are vastly different than the first day at Boot Camp or Basic. Ask any barber at the PX. Usually, after Basic one can then let one's, hair grow out. Medium sideburns tapered or cut neck, hair off the ears and you've pretty much got it. Now the hardcore in Recon, SF, SEALS, etc. love it high and tight. My point is one may have come into the service looking like Def Leopard or Credence, but those days ended a long time ago. Women may have entered the service looking like Dorothy LaMour or some other siren or vamp, but those days are long gone. So what then is the compromise. I'm not a member of the Uniform Board (I value my life more than being on the Board) and I would suggest either a Page Boy or Reverse Page no longer than the bottom of the ear lobes. OK you can shoot now.
(0)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google