Friday, May 02, 2014


U.S. Military Ordered to Examine Hairstyle Rules for Offensive Language

Black hair CANNOT be "unkempt or matted", apparently

Responding to a complaint from the Congressional Black Caucus, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday ordered the military services to review their grooming standards for African-American women.

Hagel told the CBC that he has given the services 30 days to “review the definitions of authorized and prohibited hairstyles contained in each of their respective policies and revise any offensive language.”

At issue is Army Regulation 670-1, published last month, which bans certain hairstyles, including dreadlocks, twists, and hair that sticks out more than two inches from the scalp.

In an April 10 letter to Hagel, female members of the CBC complained that the words "unkempt" and "matted" are "offensive and biased" when referring to "traditional hairstyles worn by women of color."

The military guidelines specifically state that "Any unkempt or matted braids or cornrows are considered dreadlocks and are not authorized."

"The assumption that individuals wearing these hairstyles cannot maintain them in a way that meets the professionalism of Army standards indicates a lack of cultural sensitivity conducive to creating a tolerant environment for minorities," the women of the CBC wrote to Hagel.

SOURCE

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

women of color
That is racist.

If they are not willing to follow the rules, they should not be in the military; it is by choice now.

There is not any reason for the military to be "sensitive" to race. etc.

Anonymous said...

Crew-cuts or shaved heads for everyone would settle the issue. It doesn't reflect race or gender, and is also the most hygenic and easy to maintain in a military context.

Bird of Paradise said...

The CBC needs to keep their big fat noses out of the military and other things thats not their concern

Anonymous said...

Typically dreadlocks are unwashed and matted hair so this addition was superfluous. Many “women of color” who grew up in gang environments grew up with their hair in corn rows because that was deemed an advantage in a fight, being your opponent had less to grab on to. Corn rows are harder to wash and keep clean but if you can get someone to say it is racist for you to put out more effort, who would be stupid enough not to let them.

MDH

Go Away Bird said...

What ever became of the standard Crew Cut?