The Marine Corps Has Handed Down Some Very Specific Rules for Black Hair

Elspeth Reeve

The Marine Corps issued some very explicit regulations on what Marines' hair can look like — particularly if those Marines are black women. The new rules, Marine Administrative Order No. 658/13, forbid "faddish," "exaggerated," and "eccentric" hairstyles. The Marine Corps defines faddish as "a transitory fashion adopted with wide enthusiasm." But doesn't really mean that. If you read between the ALL CAPS lines, it means some black hairstyles that have been around for decades.

The Marine Corps has officially allowed microbraids. (Before, it wasn't clear, and at least one Marine felt they were "sometimes frowned upon.") But there are other kinds of braids that aren't allowed. The order offers "Examples of hairstyles considered to be faddish or exaggerated and thus not authorized for wear in uniform," which we'll put in bullet points to make reading easier.

  • Locks and twists (not including French rolls/twists)

  • hair sculpting (eccentric directional flow, twists, texture or spiking) 

  • buns or braids with loose hair extending at the end (except as authorized below)

Here the exception is instructive. "Locks" are dreadlocks, of course, and twists are how Malia Obama wore her hair in the summer of 2009, freaking out some conservatives. French twists, however, are an entirely different, Grace Kelly-style matter. Those are allowed. Here's a comparison:

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Associated Press

(The Marine Corps notes "this list is not all inclusive.")

But there's more! The Marine Corps is looking for a very specific thing in a young Marine, as well as a very specific thing in a braid.

  • Braids… when worn, multiple braids shall be of uniform dimension,

  • small in diameter (approx. 1/8 to 1/4 inch),

  • show no more than 1/8th of an inch of scalp between the braids,

  • and must be tightly interwoven to present a neat, professional, well groomed appearance. 

  • Foreign material (i.e. beads, decorative items) shall not be braided into the hair.

  • Braids must continue to the end of the natural hair and can be worn loose from that point.

  • When worn loose, braids will comply with medium or long hair length guidelines...

  • or be secured to the head in one direction, in straight lines...

  • (fore and aft when wearing a bun)

  • The hair forming the bun may be unbraided.

Defense Department

In fairness, military mustaches are required to be very precise. Here's the Air Force's promotion/ warning for Mustache March. And obviously white women can wear braids.

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But with its highly detailed regulations on braids, the Marine Corps is dipping its toe into the sometimes political issue of black hair. No, it's not requiring women to relax their hair. But the Marine Corps making it very clear that a narrow slice of styles will be tolerated. 

Via tup wanders on Flickr.

This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/politics/2013/12/marine-corps-has-handed-down-some-very-specific-rules-black-hair/356308/

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