Long Hair and the Army!

[Louis]

I have recently joined the Territorial Army medical corp and I have been informed that I have to shave off my beard and cut my long hair! As it is only a part time commitment, unless I am called up to the front line of a war, why do I have to do this? I am willing to cut my hair if I am required to go to war, but I can't understand why I am required to do so now, esp as the female soldiers are allowed to have long hair!

[tartanwiz]

Anyway, do you want to be laughed at? All the other squaddies will laugh while you whine about getting your pretty hair-do cut to the same length as other MALE soldiers. They'll call you ladyboy. Don't say I didn't warn you.

[Koreansatemy]

so everyone looks the same and no one looks better than the other one, because bald people all look funny, so it encourages teamwork by yall looking the same and nobody being better than the other

[baraoora]

What army  are you talking about? The one that ran away at Srebaniksa? Did they also have long hair? What have the Dutch done in the last 100 years except provide divisions in the second war to the Germans and brigades to the Free Dutch?

[Jack0757]

Only just seen this and i hope louis reads the responses on a regular basis.

You need to understand that that is the way it is

if you were not such a ****** you would

if you do not want to cut your hair and shave  LEAVE

i have been in the TA for 35 years and only recently have sad sods like you joined who want the pay but not the commitment

[Jack0757]

My last was a reaction to an idiot

now the reasons

1. with more than two days growth of facial hair your resperator will not seal.........result Death

2. long hair breeds the sort of bugs you do not want, you have to carry your water and it is precious enough without washing your hair in it

3 females tend to be in rear areas and so have accsess to more facilities than are available in a trench

i would not have recruited you

you need to watch bad lads army and see what Men put up with

[trickeh1]

Sorry mate, get over it! I'm a female in the army and have long hair but am requested to have it in a French Plait or in a bun at all times, I mean if you prefer that of course?

[LordJohn]

Well Louis, me and you share the same problem - I'm a metalhead and badass hair is quite important to me, but to be honest, ridding the world of scum such as terrorists (the reason I'm joining the army), is more important to me than having cool hair or looking different - There'll be plenty of time for that later.

Remember, it's not the end of the world, and your hair will grow back at some point.

As for the reasons, well as the others said, having a beard could result in death as your respirator wouldn't go on properly. The hair would be a pain in the ass, imagine you were behind a soldier who was whacking you in the face with his hair. Or imagine you were trying to shoot somebody and you had to take a few seconds to fix your fringe first (as feminine as it sounds).

And yes, some people probably would laugh at you. And unfortunately when you're in the army, you can't just turn round and beat the **** out of they people like you can do on the street.

You have it lucky, the women in the army end up getting raped, so think yourself lucky.

[LordJohn]

Oh yes - If it really is a bad problem, you could start a revolution against them, it's happened before, but never about hair.
It would be really hard to find supporters but really, that's the only alternative to either getting it cut or simply not joining.

[smallen642]

I think it�s a lot to do with conformity. In the armed forces they aim to eradicate all signs of individuality and freethinking and reprogram you into a collective fighting force that follows orders strategically with out questioning the ramifications of the orders. The fact that they allow women to have longer hair is clearly discrimination. That�s based up upon modern day society�s sexist preference of short back and sides for men and long hair for women rather than an individualistic notion of personal choice for all. As for long hair being feminine would you of said that to a Viking, I�m pretty sure if you did it wouldn�t be long till you were cleaved in two. In ancient Greek times long hair would have been associated strongly with warriors. And today the Israeli army doesn�t have any regulations regarding hair length (largely to do with traditional orthodox Jewish religious beliefs) though its one of the few areas the Israeli army has a better record than most. I think this discrimination should end seeing as society is based on freedom of thought before conformity I think those laying down their life�s protecting for our rights ought to be able to benefit from this. I have long hair and it discourages me and patriotic individuals like me from military service

[Decibel]

As a member on the TA (and a former member of the University Royal Naval Unit) I feel that I can comment on this. A woman with long hair has to have it tied neatly above the collar (as mentioned in another post) in a bun, with a hair net, hairspray, hair clips and any other hair coloured essentials required to make it stay that way. It's more expensive and complicated than people think. Most men do not have the same attention to detail as women do, particularly when it comes to their appearance and hair!

Long hair in women has always been a sign of good health and therefore a good ability to reproduce. Although women with short hair is becoming more common, it is still socially weird for a woman to have a crew cut!

Some posts (am not sure if they are ones written by you) have stated that this is a sexist rule. Women are allowed long hair, men are too if it is a part of their religion. Men are allowed to wear uniforms designed for men. So do women! Yes, for the formal uniforms we have to wear a skirt. But the boots, pack, guns, working rig, belts, head wear, are all designed for a mans build and are simply made slightly smaller if required. The sexes have a different build therefore require a different design to be more comfortable, see any clothes shop for examples!

So for the same reason that I have to walk for miles in boots that are not designed for high insteps and flexible ankle, wear trousers and shirt without space for certain female body part, you have to have your hair cut. 'Shock Horror'! It's all a part of being in a uniformed organisation, you have to look the same as everyone else! Surely you knew that before you applied to join?