The US Army announced a series of new grooming policies on Tuesday that will allow soldiers to wear ponytails, locs, lipstick and even earrings. Soldiers can also highlight their hair as long as they choose a natural color. Certain colors like purple, pink, blue, green, orange, bright red and fluorescent or neon colors are not allowed. The current policy will also lift restrictions on soldiers braiding, twisting, locking, or cornrowing their hair, although it does set out some specifications for doing so.
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Facebook and Twitter flooded with the news, including excited posts from soldiers who had been waiting for the change. Andrews, a seven-year Army veteran and prior-enlisted soldier, submitted an exception to policy request last year, complete with a YouTube video on the viability of locks in the Army.
Inspired by Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Cherie Wright, who led that service's effort to authorize locks, she teamed up with Nikky Nwamokobia, who runs a natural beauty channel on YouTube. Together they created a video dissecting the Army's hair regulations, with visual examples of how soldiers could still be within standards with their hair in locks, the same way they can with braids and twists, which were already allowed.
Army officials could not confirm whether Nwamokobia's video tipped the scales for its decision to allow locks, but they confirmed that the topic of locks came up during the working group discussing religious headgear and beards, and regulations were changed as a result of those discussions. Both women theorized, though, that the last hold-outs for a ban on locks were based on popular perceptions of large, free-form dreadlocks with no pattern. The year-old-model-turned-active-duty-aircraft-loadmaster says she has been experiencing hair loss at her hairline and at the base of her neck after two years of having to meet the standards.
The new standards are based on feedback from thousands of Air Force servicewomen who said that the grooming codes have caused damaged hair, migraines and hair loss. While locs, twists, braids and ponytails were previously allowed, there were several length and dimension requirements, which are now more flexible, according to a news release. The new standards also allow for some hair highlights and nail polish. The new grooming standards are a step toward the armed services recognizing the diversity of service members while also pushing forward different ideas of professionalism, current and retired service members said.
Women are about 16 percent of the enlisted forces and about 19 percent of the officer corps. Black women contribute significantly to those totals, according to data from the Council on Foreign Relations. High-profile Black women, such as Rep.
That kind of advocacy is partly why there are changes happening in other parts of the military today, Richardson Lawson said.
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