Why are men held to a more restrictive hair grooming standard than women?

SSG Brian Marshall - fantastic selfie

That was a high blow (shot to the bald head)

One more thing, scalp blow from the Specialist Mafia, just leave my retirement pay alone please!

SGT Laura Delgadillo - You didn't hit a nerve cause it looks more like some Gal grab from both side as set him straight.

Sir, you know it's all about keeping a professional apearance. The military is a reflection of the society it comes from, and (like all societies past and present) there are different sets of criteria for male and female appearances. That's just life. Military grooming regulations pretty much parallel what you would want at a job interview. A woman with a high-and-tight is just not going to make that good impression. Likewise, a man with a flapper-helmet is going to invite some negative comparisons. Also, have you seen the attempts to put females into male-style dress-blues? They look fucking aweful. Men and women are shaped differently, so men's clothes tend to accentuate the shoulders, while women's clothes accentuate the hips.

Sgt (Join to see) I'll grant to a minor extent we reflect our origin societies, albeit with a 50-200 year lag in fashion for service and dress uniforms. Our cammies and frogsuits, mercifully, follow no such absurd compunctions. As to your point on past failed attempts of uniform merges (likely not done it good faith): tailors exist. Clothes can be re-cut from standards to fit appropriately, but female Marines' dress uniforms currently look more like flight attendants of old than they do their male counterparts, and that is a wedge among the others that drive us apart based on irrelevant things. Finally: We are not in the business of interviewing for jobs. The military is in the business of violence, uniformity and simplicity helps to emphasize that, departures detract from it. These principles can be applied to dress and service uniforms. This is solveable.

Capt Richard I P. - Won't that be cute, all the different ways we can put our hair up, so the enemy can't get a hold of it during combatives. I can think of a lot better ways to spend tax payer time, than getting our hair done. Cut it all off and be done with it. And, if the women can't handle the loss of "individual expression" in the process, guess what, it's not about you, so get the hell out!!!

SFC (Join to see) Sure, I could be convinced to go that way too. So long as it's one standard for all, and actually a standard based on combat rather than out of date fashions. "Hair (and beards) will be cropped such that no grip can be gained by an opponent's hand" sounds like a good standard to me. Maybe with waivers available for COIN or population purposes.

MCPO Roger Collins
MCPO! We meet again.

I will give you a simple guideline for telling the two sexes apart (as if it matters in battle!) we women have some things hanging off our chests that will help- along with softer facial features. Men tend to have a brow ridge, and larger jaw. Men also have Adam's apples.

You will be comforted to know that we women will not magically-transform into men. We will still be women, and our hairstyles or clothing will not change that one bit!

Hahaha you will be able to tell the difference, I promise.

A1C Melissa Jackson - hahahahahaha!!

A1C Melissa Jackson - And that's just the way I like it.