Black Female Hairstyle | U.S. Army Bans Natural Hair | HelloBeautiful | Blog Black Hairstyles

Black Female Hairstyle | U.S. Army Bans Natural <b>Hair</b> | HelloBeautiful | Blog Black Hairstyles

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• U.S. Army Bans Natural <b>Hair</b> | HelloBeautiful
• Soldiers Say Army&#39;s New <b>Hairstyle</b> Bans Aren&#39;t Fair To <b>Black Women</b> <b>...</b>
• <b>Black Women</b> in the Military say New Regulations on <b>Hairstyles</b> are <b>...</b>

U.S. Army Bans Natural <b>Hair</b> | HelloBeautiful Posted: 31 Mar 2014 01:48 PM PDT The U.S. Army is proposing a few changes to its grooming and appearance standards that many army vets have deemed discriminatory, particularly to women of color. MUST READ: BEAUTIFUL NEWS: 5 Ivy League Schools Compete For DC Teen With 4.3 GPA According to reports, "Army Regulation 670-1″ approved on March 6, restricts female soldiers from wearing most natural hair styles including "twists, dreadlocks, Afros and braids"while deployed. For those who do not follow the guidelines, they will be forced to cut theses styles or wear wigs. Army veteran "Tonya" spoke with Al Jazeera and called the new rules, which aren't officially implemented, "deliberate." She said many of the natural hair styles serve a purpose for women who are deployed and don't have access to maintenance products or tools. "It's very targeted because we all know who they're talking about even though they never explicitly say the world 'black' or 'African-American.' We all know who typically wears these types of hairstyles and then they went as far as to include pictures of black women in the PowerPoint." "I don't think they see the health behind it. Getting these extensions, these braids, can put a lot of stress and strain on our hair," "Tonya" said. "When you're in Iraq, these hairstyles serve the purpose to protect you." The Powerpoint slides that "Tonya" is referring to show Black women and two women of coloring illustrating a few of the "unauthorized" hairstyles that also include "multiple braids," a "bulk of hair" "exceed more than 2″ from scalp," and even, a hair part that isn't "one straight line." Secretary of the Army John McHugh approved the regulations, but Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler claims that the army made various changes to accommodate soldiers. "We've gone through a series of revisions and briefings to try to find something that's reasonable, affordable and feasible within the Army that aligns itself with our professional responsibilities," said Chandler's statement. The Army may say that they approved the changes to make it "reasonable" for their soldiers, but their solution doesn't make it feasible for them either. African-American women make up a third of all women in the Armed Forces, according to a Pew research report. To me, that means a lot of women who are otherwise qualified will not be allowed to serve for illegitimate reasons. Aside from the discrimination that obviously singles out Black women (using Black soldiers in your Powerpoint, really?), these rules make it even more inconvenient for them. Forcing a woman serving in the military (that I only assume involves fighting, running and jumping) to wear a weave makes it more difficult for her to do her job. Granted, extensions can be pulled back and tied up, but even then, strands may get in her face or just be uncomfortable in general. Not to mention, tying your hair can take up too unnecessary time; time that's taken seriously by a soldier who has to fight for her country in the blink of an eye. If you're just as annoyed with this as I am or "Tonya," you can sign this Whitehouse.gov petition that currently has more than 4,000 signatures. But, maybe I'm overreacting. What do you think, beauties? Is this rule discriminating against Black women and making it harder for them to actively serve? Related Stories Ex-FAMU Band Member Sentenced To A Year In Jail For Role In Hazing Death Ebony Mag Apologizes For Editor Jamilah Lemieux's 'Racist' Tweets, But Was She Wrong?

Soldiers Say Army&#39;s New <b>Hairstyle</b> Bans Aren&#39;t Fair To <b>Black Women</b> <b>...</b> Posted: 01 Apr 2014 12:46 PM PDT A new White House petition is claiming updated Army regulations banning certain hairstyles are biased against black women. The new grooming rules specifically forbid twists, braids, dreadlocks and other protective hairstyles popular among women of color who do not use chemical relaxer on their hair. The regulations, which went into effect on Monday, also require that the "bulk of hair" not exceed 2 inches from the scalp. Kind of a hard thing to do when you have a crown of glorious afro curls coming from your head. A PowerPoint presentation of the new rules was leaked last month ahead of publication. While twists and dreadlocks have been banned since 2005, these updated regulations go into more detail about specific hairstyles. Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs of the Georgia National Guard launched the petition, pointing out that nearly a third of women serving in the military are non-white and many wear their hair natural (not chemically altered or in extensions). "I've been in the military six years, I've had my hair natural four years, and it's never been out of regulation. It's never interfered with my head gear," Jacobs, who says she wears her hair in two twists, told Army Times. One veteran told Al Jazeera America that most black women in the Army wear their hair natural because they usually don't have the tools to maintain chemically relaxed or straightened hair when they are deployed. So what are black women who employ natural hairstyles adopted from their ancestors and culture supposed to do in the Army? Straighten their curls? Hey, maybe Paul Mooney was right (0:11 mark): To sign the petition, click here. SOURCE: Think Progress | PHOTO CREDIT: Military Times

<b>Black Women</b> in the Military say New Regulations on <b>Hairstyles</b> are <b>...</b> Posted: 01 Apr 2014 10:09 AM PDT This PowerPoint slide shows some of the unauthorized hairstyles for women. (Army) Thousands of soldiers and others have signed a White House petition calling for the president to order the Army to reconsider just-released appearance and grooming regulations they contend are "racially biased" against black women. The update to Army Regulation 670-1 was published Monday , and among the rules are clarifications for Army-appropriate hairstyles. For example, the Army does not allow twists or multiple braids that are bigger than a quarter of an inch in diameter. The reg also bans dreadlocks of any style, and cornrows must be uniform and no bigger than a quarter of an inch. Twists and dreadlocks have been prohibited since 2005, but the regulation at the time did not clearly define the specific hairstyles, Army spokesman Paul Prince said. The new AR 670-1 clearly defines the different hairstyles and gives soldiers specific guidance on what's allowed, he said. Leadership training released in mid-March, published before the reg was official ,includes photos of a number of unauthorized hairstyles , several of which are popular among black women. "I've been in the military six years, I've had my hair natural four years, and it's never been out of regulation. It's never interfered with my head gear," said Sgt. Jasmine Jacobs, of the Georgia National Guard, who wears her hair in two twists. Jacobs, who started the White House petition , said she's "kind of at a loss now with what to do with my hair." The Army defines "twists" as two distinct strands of hair twisted around one another to create a rope-like appearance. Jacobs said twists are the go-to style for black female soldiers going to the field because it "makes it easy to take care of in the field," she said. Her hair is naturally thick and curly, making it impossible to pull into a bun, Jacobs said. "Most black women, their hair doesn't grow straight down, it grows out," she said. "I'm disappointed to see the Army, rather than inform themselves on how black people wear their hair, they've white-washed it all." In the White House petition, Jacobs calls on the Army to reconsider changes to AR 670-1. "Females with natural hair take strides to style their natural hair in a professional manner when necessary; however, changes to AR 670-1 offer little to no options for females with natural hair," she said in her petition. The changes are "racially biased, and the lack of regard for ethnic hair is apparent," she further states. Click here to continue reading…  SOURCE: Michelle Tan   Army Times Like this: Like Loading...

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