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The flat-top military haircut is characterized by short sides and back, with the hair on top cut to stand up straight and form a flat-appearing deck. So now you might be wondering what hairstyles are acceptable and what are not. Grinston teased that changes were coming on Twitter last week, saying hair is “absolutely” something the team leading the Army’s Project Inclusion initiative were working on. These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser.
Ponytails and Braids
The revisions also removes potentially offensive language used to describe several hairstyles and replaces with appropriate terminology for unauthorized grooming and appearance standards. The changes also stemmed from concerns over how the hair requirements were impacting soldiers’ health and causing hair loss or preventing hair growth, and were meant to improve diversity and inclusion efforts in the service. Among the revisions that will be included in the new AR — last updated in 2017 — include changes that have already been announced such as the Army Green Service Uniform and the Expert Soldier Badge. In 2015, the Army updated its tattoo policies to open the ranks to the 41% of millennials with at least one tattoo. The newest regulations give women greater freedom to choose hairstyles previously banned by the Army.
Tattoo Policy
The updated standard removes the constraints of dimension requirements. A review panel, which was made up of representatives throughout the Army, voted on the changes announced earlier this year, but did not originally vote to allow ponytails in all uniforms. Grinston said in March that they “asked if they could reconsider their decision” after hearing from soldiers. Female soldiers can now wear highlights in their hair if the colors blend together naturally without a “vast difference” between the shades.
AR 670-1: Here are the Army's new updates to grooming standards - Task & Purpose
AR 670-1: Here are the Army's new updates to grooming standards.
Posted: Tue, 26 Jan 2021 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The Army is planning a major overhaul of its hair and grooming regulations
As for hair and grooming standards, a series of recommended grooming standard changes were brought to Army leadership last month after being voted on by a review panel comprised of representatives throughout the Army. According to slides made public on Tuesday, the voting members of the panel included 15 women (10 Black women, 4 white women, and one Hispanic woman) and two men (one Black man and one Hispanic man). Four male subject matter experts — two dermatologists, one psychologist, and one equal opportunity advisor — were also present on the panel, though they did not vote. The updated standard will also allow females with long hair the option to wear a ponytail while wearing an Army Combat Uniform during physical training, or while wearing tactical headgear during tactical training or combat operations. Army standards require this hairstyle to be neatly and inconspicuously fastened above the collar's lower edge.
Army Religious Garments Regulations
If the Soldier were to washout or graduate from training, their hair was often below the 1/4 inch minimum length requirement and outside Army regulations. The announcement will be followed by an all-Army activities message that will take effect late February and will supersede the standards outlined in the grooming and appearance chapter of Army Regulation until the next scheduled revision. The top hair must still conform to army regulations, i.e., it must not be excessively bulky or fall over the ears or eyes.
A medium-length hairstyle must extend more than 1 inch from the scalp and cannot exceed the lower edge of the collar in all uniforms. Soldiers will also be authorized to wear multiple hairstyles as long as it maintains a neat and professional appearance, and if the hairstyle doesn't impede the use of headgear or other equipment, Sanders said. Leadership at all levels is responsible for enforcing the army hair policy. All soldiers will comply with hair, fingernail, and grooming policies in military uniform or civilian clothes on duty.
It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. Retirees can wear only APFUs combined with civilian clothes outside of Army installations. AR does not apply to chiefs of staff, who can decide their own uniforms. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Another update will remove and replace potentially offensive and weaponized words and phrases, such as "Mohawk, Fu Manchu, dreadlock, eccentric, and faddish," Sanders said. “Some male Soldiers in certain occupation specialties rely on their hands, which are under constant bombardment while working with tools or harsh chemicals,” Sanders said.
Non-Retired Former Soldiers and Uniforms
In addition, soldiers can not shape their facial hair into goatees, handlebar mustaches or other styles. By eliminating some of the restrictions, Soldiers will now have more flexibility, all while keeping it within the confines of professionalism, Mitchell said. Further, having a choice to wear multiple hairstyles will allow female Soldiers more ways to secure their hair so that it can fit appropriately under their headgear. Army senior leaders approved several upcoming grooming and appearance modifications, said Sgt. Maj. Brian Sanders, senior enlisted leader of Army G-1’s uniform policy branch.
Short Authorized Hairstyles for Female Soldiers
Other updates include removing offensive or racist wording from AR 670-1, and updating the images in the regulations with “specific examples for standards” to clearly show what is and is not allowed. Now, the National Guard Bureau action officer is the face of the updated regulation, pictured wearing a formerly unauthorized hairstyle that was approved largely due to her persistent efforts. Soldiers can wear hijabs when they have an approved religious accommodation request. The hijab must be subdued in color or ACU-compatible camouflage and present a neat appearance.
AR670-1 regulation allows soldiers to wear certain accessories, such as sunglasses, gloves, and scarves, but they must be conservative and not interfere with performing duties. Soldiers with religious accommodations can wear long-sleeved Army physical fitness uniform (APFU) tops and subdued leggings under APFU shorts. The material of the leggings may not contain logos, patterns or be otherwise obtrusive.
And as Peters said at Military.com back in August, Black women “have not always had a voice,” but “the one thing they have always controlled and taken pride in is their hair. “The words ‘extreme’ and ‘exaggerated’ are sufficient when describing violations to the Grooming and Appearance Standard,” the slides say. Long hair must be “neatly and inconspicuously fastened or pinned above the lower edge of the collar,” according to the regulations. It seems some of those changes could be coming to soldiers at the beginning of 2021. An Army official familiar with the panel said the majority of representatives were women. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily.
New grooming standards, which will be reflected in a forthcoming memo (ALARACT), will also go into effect in February. Approved revisions include optional wear of earrings, lipstick and nail colors for women and clear nail polish for men. Earrings will remain unauthorized in field environments, combat-related deployments or locations where access to normal hygiene is not available. Nicole Kirschmann, a career Army civilian, said on her personal Twitter account that she believed the service should allow women to wear ponytails and take into consideration different textures and types of hair. Having “grooming standards that show sensitivity to the cultural and ethnic diversity already present in our Army would go a long way in ‘walking the talk’ about diversity and inclusion,” she told Task & Purpose. The Army is going to allow women to wear ponytails in all uniforms, just months after revising its hair and grooming standards to allow ponytails and long braids in some instances.
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