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Why is the US Army Biased Against African-American Women's Hair?
Army's updated hairstyle rules seen as offensive to some African ...
African-American lawmakers ask Army to reconsider new hairstyle ...

Why is the US Army Biased Against African-American Women's Hair?

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 02:30 PM PDT

In the early 1970s, the women's liberation movement was in full swing. Activists focused on giving women freedom to choose their own paths and have equal access to opportunities traditionally reserved for men. One of the major battlegrounds was corporate America where women fought to go past the reception desk and into the corner office. As the corporate culture changed, so did the idea of what was considered professional behavior. Men still dominated the board room and, ultimately, the employee manual.

When it came to what to wear, women were forced to emulate the male style, but still dress as men felt women should. Suits were generally of the typical gray, black, or blue colors. Women would be required to wear skirts – below the knee – and shoes that were appropriate in heel height. Makeup had to be "natural" and hair had to be done in a conservative manner, which generally meant pulled into a bun or otherwise not worn below the shoulders.

In the decades since, more women are in the boardroom and corporate culture has adjusted accordingly. Women wear suits, dresses and pants with vivid colors. They are tailored to fit their body and the shoes are fabulous. However, as the workplace has become more diverse, conservative work environments have still been slow to adjust to the needs of many women – especially women of color.

Last month, the U.S. Army released its latest appearance guidelines. Like all organizations, the military has rules as to grooming and uniform. Soldiers must always maintain a professional appearance while on duty. Guidelines cover everything from uniform to jewelry – including piercings, tattoos, and hairstyles. The new guidelines on hairstyles have created an uproar that has been heard all the way to the halls of Congress.

The updated regulations have specified which hairstyles, for women and men, are authorized. The banned styles are predominately worn by African-American women, especially those that do not choose to chemically alter their natural hair. Furthermore, the accepted styles would be difficult for black women with natural hair to maintain, especially when deployed in areas that lack the modern conveniences, and time, needed to be considered regulation.

Black hair is naturally curly and the texture varies. Generally, however, the hair grows up and out, not down as straight hair does. For hair that has a courser texture and a tighter curl, sometimes referred to "kinky," it requires a great deal of effort and varied techniques to maintain when not altered chemically or thermally. As a result, many black women choose hairstyles that can be worn for longer periods of time, such as twists, braids or cornrows. These are especially useful for black female soldiers that are deployed in war zones or in the field for extended periods of times.

These are also the styles that have been modified or banned by the Army.

While the updated regulations apply to all women, many seem to ignore the unique challenges for black hair. Female soldiers cannot wear hairstyles that are longer than the bottom edge of the collar than their uniform and it must be of a uniform length. Essentially, women with long hair will need to pull their hair into a bun, which must be secured, not extend further than three inches from the scalp, and not lopsided. It also has to be secured with an authorized accessory, which means that huge hairclips are not allowed and scrunchies must match the soldier's hair color.

While all of this seems reasonable, considering the needs of the required headgear, a lot of this is not easy to comply with for black women. Curls that are thick and tight do not pull easily into a bun or stay in place without altering the natural state of the hair. The new regulation requiring only two braids and that they lay flat would be impossible for anyone with thick hair, especially if it doesn't naturally lay flat. While cornrows are still allowed, they must be small and start from the front of the scalp, a style that isn't easy to achieve without the help of someone else.

Black female soldiers are speaking out against the regulations, claiming that the standards are racially biased and ignore the complexities of black hair. While they agree that soldiers need to maintain a professional appearance, the new regulations are forcing a definition of professionalism that excludes black women. As one soldier noted on the Facebook page of the Sgt. Major of the Army, "As far as the twists, that really limits females with curly/kinky hair. I can't simply pull my hair back due to excessive knotting. I proudly wear twists in a professional manner every day and only took them down on the weekends. It makes it very difficult for ethnic females."

The issue is not unique to the Army. Studies have shown that black people who do not look a certain way are often ignored for promotions, if they are hired at all. While things like a blue mohawk (which is also banned by the Army, by the way) is generally considered unprofessional, the hairstyle is a choice and one that doesn't occur naturally. For black women that wear their hair in a natural state and appropriately groomed, it is still considered unprofessional. This creates an environment where talent is being ignored simply because of outdated standards of professionalism, which are based on the ideals of white men.

Black lawmakers in Congress have called on Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to reconsider the guidelines. There is also a petition to the White House started by National Guard member Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs in hopes of having them address the issue. There is also a Care2 petition here. While they wait for the response, the Army has noted that they are providing some leeway with compliance. The regulation allows for a waiver program that grants exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

Of course, a woman could also decide to shave her head completely, but that is banned by the Army as well – but only for women.

Army's updated hairstyle rules seen as offensive to some African ...

Posted: 08 Apr 2014 12:46 PM PDT

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Army unauthorized female hairstyles photo from MilitaryTimes website
Army unauthorized female hairstyles photo from MilitaryTimes website
Army unauthorized female hairstyles photo from MilitaryTimes website
Army unauthorized female hairstyles photo from MilitaryTimes website
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WASHINGTON (CNN) — The U.S. Army's new ban on many types of ethnic hairstyles has African-American women who wear their coifs in dreadlocks, braids and cornrows in a twist.

The Army's regulations stipulate such guidance as hair "must be of uniform dimension, small in diameter (approximately ¼ inch), show no more than 1/8 (inch) of the scalp between the braids."

Dreadlocks "against the scalp or free-hanging" are banned. "Unkempt" or "matted" braids and cornrows are also considered dreadlocks and "are not authorized," according to the regulations that were updated this month.

It's that type of language, words like "unkempt" and "matted," that read to some African Americans, as code for racial bias.

"These new changes are racially biased and the lack of regard for ethnic hair is apparent," Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs of the Georgia National Guard wrote in a White House petition she started in late March asking the Obama administration to reconsider the policy.

Currently, the petition has more than 13,000 signatures.

"We feel let down," Jacobs told the Army Times. "I think, at the end of the day, a lot of people don't understand the complexities of natural hair. A lot of people, instead of educating themselves, they think dreadlocks and they think Bob Marley, or they see women with really big Afros and they think that's the only thing we can do with our hair."

The updates in appearance standards were crafted, in part, with the help of African-American female soldiers and are intended to clarify the professional look of soldiers, said Troy Rolan, an Army spokesman.

Previous regulations did not specifically address things such as braid widths or numbers, or the definition of twist styles.

"Many hairstyles are acceptable, as long as they are neat and conservative," Rolan said, noting the Army has banned dreadlocks since 2005.

If soldiers aren't happy, they can go through a formal process to request changes to the hairstyle regulations, the Army said.

"We encourage soldiers to make use of this process by sending recommendations and examples of hairstyles which could present professional appearances and conform to the regulation," Rolan said.

The rules' conciseness isn't the problem, say some African-American women and black studies scholars.

The problem, they say, is a perception that ethnic hair that is "natural" or not straightened with heat or chemicals is somehow unruly, unkempt and must be carefully regulated to fit within white cultural norms.

"In a broad sense, it's just another example of U.S. institutions policing black style," said Mark Anthony Neal, an African-American studies professor at Duke University. "And it's not that there aren't other examples of such policing among other racial and ethnic groups. But, given the fraught relationship between black identity and culture and what some Americans might perceive as 'normal,' it strikes a particularly dissonant chord among some blacks."

Mandating what should be done with black hair is a particularly sensitive matter.

During slavery and for generations after, hair texture, along with skin complexion, was used to classify which slaves were more valuable, given jobs in the master's house rather than the field, and — by default — deemed beautiful.

Straighter hair, lighter skin and features that looked white were considered preferred traits, African-American scholars noted.

Those values were internalized and perpetuated within the black community for years in a way that was particularly damaging to the self-esteem of black women, African American scholars said.

"The gender dynamic here is also important; hair is so tied to the idea of black womanhood and self-esteem," Neal said. "There have been many stories, for example, of the extra scrutiny black women with locs or dreads face going through airport security. The Army's ban is just another knock from the dominant society that somehow black women are out of step with the so-called status quo."

Black pride and natural hair movements have emphasized that all hair types and the rainbow of skin hues are all beautiful.

However, the Army's regulations, some natural hair advocates and African American scholars fear, might suggest to black soldiers that their tresses must be straightened or closely cropped in order to fit in and be valued.

That type of pressure is "both unfair and racially biased," said Imani Perry, an African-American studies professor at Princeton University.

"While it is reasonable for the military to expect some degree of conformity and neatness in hairstyles, those expectations ought to take into account the variety of natural hair textures people have," Perry said. "For many African-American women who have tightly curled, coily or kinky hair, cornrows braids and locs are styles that allow for ease of close to the head grooming. Hence, banning those hairstyles puts black female soldiers in a difficult bind with respect to the requirement."

That type of pressure is "both unfair and racially biased," Perry said adding that the Army conformity isn't absolute because female soldiers are allowed to wear their hair long.

"Likewise, consideration ought to be made for different textures of hair," Perry said. "Otherwise, a burden is placed disproportionately upon some soldiers due to an immutable characteristic, natural hair texture that is tied to race."

African-American lawmakers ask Army to reconsider new hairstyle ...

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 05:12 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (CNN) — African-American female lawmakers are taking the Army to task for a new ban on a number of ethnic hairstyles, guidelines which some are calling racially discriminatory.

The group from the Congressional Black Caucus wrote Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday urging the military to reconsider the rule.

"Though we understand the intent of the updated regulation is to ensure uniformity in our military, it is seen as discriminatory rules targeting soldiers who are women of color with little regard to what is needed to maintain their natural hair," the letter said.

Nate Christensen, a Pentagon spokesman, said it had received the letter, appreciated their concerns and "will respond promptly and directly to them."

The Army previously said it rejects any charges of discrimination, especially since black women were involved in helping craft the new guidelines regulating everything from the style of hair parts, the width of braids and how far thick hair can extend from the scalp.

"African American female soldiers were involved in the process of developing the new female hair standards," said Troy Rolan, an Army spokesman. "Not only were nearly 200 senior female leaders and soldiers (which included a representative sample of the Army's populations) part of the decision-making process on the female hair standards, but the group was also led by an African American female."

The Army has faced pushback from some African-American members of the military and black civilian supporters over new guidelines that mandate such things as hair "must be of uniform dimension, small in diameter (approximately ¼ inch), show no more than 1/8 (inch) of the scalp between the braids." Army rules ban dreadlocks and twists of any kind as well as styles it views as "unkempt" or "matted."

That type of language rankled the Black Caucus members.

The issue, they say, is that such phrasing implies that ethnic hair that is "natural" or not straightened with heat or chemicals is somehow unruly and must be carefully regulated to fit within white cultural norms.

"The use of words like 'unkempt' and 'matted' when referring to traditional hairstyles worn by women of color are offensive," the lawmakers wrote. "The assumption that individuals wearing these hairstyles cannot maintain them in a way that meets the professionalism of Army standards indicates a lack of cultural sensitivity conducive to creating a tolerant environment for minorities."

In issuing its newest set of appearance guidelines, the Army has found itself entangled in centuries old identity politics that have been a sore point for the African-American community since slavery.

HLN.com's AJ Willingham contributed to this report

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