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Why is it required for Male recurits to shave off all their hair but females can get away with a ponytail. It is not fair. If males are made to shave off all their hair to get into the army then so should females have to shave off all their hair. Otherwise it is sexual discrimination.
I am inclined to agree with you Kenneth, it is discrimanatory but unfortunately the military sees it differently. With equal rights for both men and women you would think allowing a man to have a 15 inch ponytail would be acceptable. I could see that hair that is waist length might interfere with a soldier in performing his duties but I don't see how a 12 to 15 inch ponytail would be a problem. In due time hopefully the military will cease with this type of discrimination. It will be to their gain because certainly some longhairs will enlist. If you go back 2 centuries in history you will find lots of longhaired soldiers. Absalom
Even if your hair is not clean, In the military you are not in a beauty pagent. In combat hair can be a great insulator. You know how many soldiers complain of the cold. Sometimes they are made to camp in -10 degree weather. Think how useful long hair could be in combat when it is below 0, it might make the difference between freezing to death or living.
The germans had a practice of shaving their soldiers hair, no wonder the germans failed to invade russia. Russians Guys at least had a full head of hair and sometimes a full beard too.
Another old man fable I have heard is
men + long hair = lice
women + long hair = nice (Ok, acceptable)
Most soldiers after the Roman Empire fell had hair at least clearing their collar bone. They had to deal with more hand to hand combat than modern soldiers ever had too. A lot of knights never cut their locks. Hmm I think the Modern Military could learn from Militaries of ages past. Of course we know why the Military does it, to totally esmasuclate the soldier. As far as I'm concerned if Women want to be in the military then they are full capable of Infantry duty, so if males get the honor of having their heads shaved for boot camp then females should too. Ever seen Starship troopers there really isn't that much of a difference between Male and Female Recruits
I have never seen Starship Troopers. Absalom
Maybe we will see some on Castro Street come Halloween. [wink]
There is no favourable way t describe the miltary's obsession with everyone looking the same and thus equal.
It is simply bullying - I will g no further to avoid offending those with relations here in the military but as Absolom says a tail up to 15" long will not get in the way.
Actually, when a female goes to boot camp you are required to have your hair no longer than your collar. Females' hair is checked at regular intervals to make sure it only touches the top of your collar. If your hair is longer than that, you are sent to "the chopping block."
Most require that you keep your hair at that length or shorter. The air force does allow females to have long hair once boot camp is over, but this may be a job specific thing.
Well, this was 18 years ago, so it may have changed.
This restriction aparently doesn't apply to Women in the British Armed Services, but, it does not qualify as sexual discrimination.
Hair styles come under the juristiction of Dress Code rules, and these allow for different dress codes to be specified for Men than those for women. However these tend to restrict Men much more than they do women, that said, most guys won't complain too much about not being allowed to wear a skirt and blouse.
That said, a dress code can only be enforced by an employer if it is shown to be necessary for the persons job position.
I think this rule could be applied to Millitary Regulations to allow men greater freedom with the way they wear their hair. That said, the armed forces work under their own set of laws, not common law. Once you join the armed forces you have to live your life to both sets of rules, whenever a conflict occurs the most restrictive set of laws applies.
Still IMO there is no "good reason" for requiring Men to wear short hair in the armed services. I just don't think your gonna change the rules on this one anytime soon.
Sorted
Yes but once they are out of boot camp the hair is allowed to clear the collar bone. I knew a lot of Servicewomen I was a military brat. Almost all of them had ponytails.
First of all, there is an issue of individualism. The military stresses that everyone basically look the same. This is the reasoning behind school uniforms... If everyone looks basically the same, another guy can't make fun of your hair, or clothing, etc. Second, long hair MIGHT become tangled on such training obstacles as barbed wire, etc. I think that everyone in the military should be required to have short hair. We can't have some guys running around with ponytails while others have their hair buzzed, etc. It shatters the idea of non-individualism, which I think is fine for the military to enforce. When everything is the same, you can concentrate on training. ;)
On the other hand, I don't know why women get more rights than men in the military. It's stupid... But I guess it wouldn't do so much good to ask questions, you know.
It was required due to possible close quater battle...being as the hair could be used against you. They could grab it and slit your throat. Sorry if its to graphic for some people here but I have a long history of veterans in my family including my father. I could ask one of my friends regarding the gender 'discrimination' and all regarding the hair as I have two friends in the armed forces right now. I might be able to get more detailed information as to why; to add onto Sherris post.
According to my all-knowing(yeah, right)brother, women are still not allowed to be in front-line combat(which aggravates me beyond belief). So any ponytail couldn't get in the way, because they're simply not there.
Also, in the great military, it seems like stereotypes are glorified, so if they inforced head-shaving for women, they'd probably worry about someone complaining, but men supposedly wouldn't have a problem with it. And you're right; that isn't fair, to women or men.
I half agree with this... i guess they want males to shave their hair all off to remove their own identity so as they dont question or refuse orders etc. secondly, the army is one place where stereotypes should proberbly be followed... strength, power etc often the impression u get from shaved headed guys. weve all had experience of us long hairs being mistaken for women, or being effeminate, or just being laughed at. particularly in communities where long hair on guys is rare. now imagine being a long hair soldier in Iraq. The last thing in the world you want is for citizens to start laughing at you when your keeping order, or seeing you as weak, effeminate etc when your trying to deal out orders. on the other hand, hair length on women proberbly wouldnt result in any of this. The military is not a fashion parade.
It is true that long hair can be used against you in close quarters. OTOH, there are very few people in the armed forces likely to face that situation, i.e. basically the infantry, the marines and special forces. Most of the _men_ are non-combatants, never mind the women, and most of the combatants never come into direct contact with the enemy.
So, on the whole, it has more to do with control, i.e. the whole following orders thing.
As for being laughed at, who cares? Would you laugh at someone who is heavily armed?
I certainly don't think it ought to apply to anyone who is conscripted or drafted.
gotta agree that it shouldnt happen with consciption, then again i dont agree with conscription anyways.
maybe we would take armed forces seriously, but a fair few Iraqis seem to consider them a joke at the moment anyway.
Quite an interesting topic really... what would peoples opinions be on say, transexuals in the military... or guys who wear make up etc.
I would say it is because one doesnt really have all that much time or energy to dedicate to grooming when you have been at work on a 100 deg. plus deck all flight deck 12 or more hours. Not to mention it just doesnt fit under a cranial. Sometimes I wonder if thats why beards aren't authorized either looking at photos from WWII with some guys looking like shirtless bums. The women that I saw working on deck had crew cuts and one high and tight just like the guys so thats my opinion. Plus, most people that I have talked to simply state the obvious: Its a regulation..Why?...because 'someone' says so. Or I just love this one: Its your job. Wow! That really spells it out. Lemmings all of them! Its not a bad job since its taken me places I probably would only think about visiting but would end up procrastinating and find something more urgent to spend my money on.
I think hair rules should be the same for both sexes in the military. I'd have to say that non-visible hair goes best with military uniforms, so why not do what the Dutch army tried some time ago - they allowed soldiers to have long hair but it had to be concealed within a tight net while on duty.
Joining the forces involves, for better or worse, subjugation of individual rights and acceptance of authority. Head shaving of recruits is part of this subjugation. I imagine that if head shaving compulsory for female recruits, few women would volunteer, whereas for many men it's probably not a big deal when shaved heads have until recently been common in civvy street.
Cheers. B55
never get involved in killing
you have more to lose than your hair
