Thread by @JackieGSchneid, Yesterday CJCS Gen Milley contradicted SECDEF Esper on the all important question [...]

Yesterday CJCS Gen Milley contradicted SECDEF Esper on the all important question of military hair regulations during a pandemic. This led to a social media furor. For those of you new to the military hair debate, welcome. So what& #39;s the deal with hair???

Short hair took on a strong cultural salience during the Vietnam War when long haired hippies led anti-war protest movements. As the post-Vietnam force moved to all volunteer, hair became an important visual separation btwn conscripted forces & the new professional military.

This movement towards short hair as a proxy for discipline in the all volunteer force did not come without a debate. Enter "wig wars" where reservists sued for the right to wear wigs & retain long hair they argued was vital to their civilian identity.

https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/duqu12&div=24&id=&page=">https://heinonline.org/HOL/Landi...

Hair has also siloed racial & ethnic identities in the military. Sikh beards, dreadlocks, & African-American facial hair regulations have all at one point made military hair regulations exclusionary or onerous for many minorities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/us/army-ban-on-dreadlocks-black-servicewomen.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/1... https://www.stripes.com/news/army-allows-sikhs-permanent-exemptions-to-wear-beards-and-turbans-muslims-to-wear-hijab-1.447533">https://www.stripes.com/news/army...

Army allows Sikhs permanent exemptions to wear beards and turbans, Muslims to wear hijab

The Army has made it easier for Sikhs and observers of other religions to serve in uniform while upholding the tenets of their faiths by simplifying the process to receive a religious appearance...

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/us/army-ban-on-dreadlocks-black-servicewomen.html

Finally, hair regulations have always revealed how the military views the role of women in combat--whether it be regulations about length, the girth of a bun, the appropriate color, or whether to allow ponytails. Check out Emerald Archer& #39;s amazing book:
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/women-warfare-and-representation-9781474238045/">https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/women-...

How did I learn so much about military culture & hair? A few years ago I published a piece called blue hair in the gray zone in which I argued our beliefs about what a warrior should look like would keep us from developing the best force of the future. https://warontherocks.com/2018/01/blue-hair-gray-zone/">https://warontherocks.com/2018/01/b...

Blue Hair in the Gray Zone

Every morning on my way to get coffee, I walk through the Future Forces Gallery, a new addition to the Naval War College. The space is filled with models

https://warontherocks.com/2018/01/blue-hair-gray-zone/

I have never received so much reaction from an opinion piece. When I put up a display about the future force at the Naval War College w/blue haired sailors & man-bunned soldiers, I was asked by public affairs to remove the dolls. They didn& #39;t want to condone loose grooming stds.

Interested in how hair serves as a proxy for identity? Check out some of these pieces:
#metadata_info_tab_contents">https://www.jstor.org/stable/590695?casa_token=7-VzbhRikk8AAAAA:wKqV3aneq4gUpgyuly7hv7ZiVPXY1gw_OOdfrft8R-mUoCj4xgx1PA0upnqWq9nOPSAsrSQHSEuiGRC5OaG9EIbJ58O4aw-l4PXWlKbaFYdwKk3MWg&seq=4 #metadata_info_tab_contents
https://www.jstor.org/stable/59... href=" https://jpanafrican.org/docs/vol12no8/12.8-3-Smith.pdf
https://jpanafrican.org/docs/vol1... href=" https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/buflr20&div=49&id=&page=
https://heinonline.org/HOL/Landi... href=" #metadata_info_tab_contents">https://www.jstor.org/stable/20091203?casa_token=pjAQxQYeeuoAAAAA:Wk41MtUNmfd7SYMEtjlfk5uZniGTl97kkY1_PFaCLOrCGa1rQ-LMVvva0DVpnCEY3o2EqEKaeZnyfIKGiSfnVveaXzkIj2ZsYiuskInHdghqN6HjpQ&seq=1 #metadata_info_tab_contents">https://www.jstor.org/stable/20...

Latest Threads Unrolled: