The US Military and Natural Hair: Diversity, Inclusion, and Empowerment
The debate around natural hair in the US military revolves around the issue of whether current grooming standards unfairly discriminate against Black service members who choose to wear their hair in natural styles.
Until recently, the US military's grooming policies largely followed traditional grooming standards that prioritised ‘neat and conservative’ hairstyles, which often excluded natural hair textures common to Black individuals. These standards required that hair be cut short and styled in a way that did not extend past the collar or cover the ears. As a result, many Black female service members were required to chemically straighten their hair or wear wigs in order to conform to these standards.
In 2017, the US Army updated its grooming policies to allow for more flexibility and inclusivity, particularly for those with naturally curly or coily hair textures. The new policy, known as AR 600-20, removed language that discriminated against certain hairstyles, allowing for more options such as two-strand twists, cornrows, and dreadlocks. The US claimed the change had improved diversity and inclusion issues within the service, as it allowed for more individual expression and the elimination of potential discrimination against certain hairstyles.
However in 2019, the US Army was again taken to court for alleged racial discrimination in its hairstyle policies, which again excluded certain hairstyles such as dreadlocks, afros, and braids.
The court case, known as Janes v. United States, was brought by a female soldier who claimed that the Army’s grooming policies were discriminatory against the hairstyles she and other black soldiers wore. The court ruled in favour of the plaintiff, finding that the Army’s policies did violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
As a result, the Army were again forced to update its grooming policies around natural hair, twists and locs to allow for greater flexibility and inclusivity.
Source: coolandfantastic.com
Have the policies gone far enough to create more inclusivity?
It appears not. There is still an ongoing debate and discussion around whether these policy changes go far enough to address the issue of discrimination against natural hair in the military. Some advocates argue that the policies should be further revised to allow for even greater flexibility in grooming standards, while others believe that the existing policies strike an appropriate balance between military readiness and individual expression.
The debate around natural hair in the US military highlights the ongoing struggle for equal treatment and inclusion of Black service members in all aspects of military life.
Is this an isolated practice?
Sadly no, the US army are not alone in perpetrating these actions. Similar cases of discrimination based on natural hair have been brought against the military in other countries as well. In 2018, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) who had a culture that was deeply steeped in institutional gender discrimination. They faced heavy criticism for its hair policy, which banned natural hair, dreadlocks, and braids for female soldiers. The policy was eventually revised in 2019 to allow for a wider range of hairstyles, including natural hair, as long as they were neat and professional in appearance.
Source: vogue.com
While some progress has been made in the military, it’s clear that the debate is a long way from been settled and should not be hidden under the bristle.
Share what more you feel could be done to support service women (and men) through advocating, policy change or other campaigns to challenge discrimination against natural hair in the military.