Groom Like A Pirate Day

After the U.S. Navy relaxed the hair restrictions on female sailors, the males immediately asked, “What about us?”

The Navy said last week servicewomen could sport ponytails, lock hairstyles, or ropelike strands, and wider hair buns, reversing a policy that long forbade women from letting their hair down.

Servicemen immediately chimed in on social media, asking the Navy if they could grow beards. A sailor’s Facebook post with a #WeWantBeards hashtag was shared thousands of times.

Wow, who could have seen that coming?

Beards were banned in 1984. The Navy wanted professional-looking sailors who could wear firefighting masks and breathing apparatuses without interference. The Navy says that’s still the case. Still, some hope the change in female grooming standards opens the door.

My police department is in the same boat – pun intended. Female officers can pretty much wear their hair (or color it) however they like. A decade ago, an African-American officer sported purple highlights during roll call. The men (mostly African-Americans) immediately jumped in, claiming they should be able to wear beards.

When I entered the police academy, we were informed of the dress code in the first hour. If we could not conform, we would not make it through the academy. Every single recruit agreed. The navy is the same way. No one is hiding the dress code from recruits; it’s posted for all the world to see. Servicemen shouldn’t be demanding the rules be changed just because some chicks received – unnecessary, in my opinion – leniency.

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