What Do the Recent Military Regulations on Hair and Slavery Have in Common?

If you have not already heard, the military has gotten harsh criticism for the discriminatory regulations they put in place on hairstyles.  The appearance and grooming policy, AR 670-1,puts limits or completely bans hairstyles such as cornrows, twists, locks, and braids.  However, hair pulled straight back into a bun is approved.  Clearly, these regulations discriminate against Black women who commonly wear these hairstyles, particularly women who wear their hair natural.

The military claims the new regulations were needed to address concerns about headgear and maintaining uniformity.  Yet,servicewomen have worn their hair in the now banned styles for many years with no issues before these regulations even existed.  Many people have come out against these regulations including the Congressional Black Caucus, and thousands of people who signed a petition against the regulations.  Few however, have linked these regulations to what took place during slavery.

One of the first things slave traders did to those in bondage was shave their heads.  Africans held great pride for their hair and honored it as a spiritual vehicle. To take away such an important part of one’s identity, by shaving their heads, served as an effective way to disgrace and humiliate.  Further, instead of their traditional wooden combs, which were considered treasured items given the importance on hair for Africans, slaves had to use a sheep’s fleece carding tool to groom their hair.  This carding tool carried lice, ringworm, and other diseases. Consequently, many slaves suffered from scabs, bald patches, and other hair problems brought on by the carding tool.

What the military is doing now is no different from what has always been done to African Americans throughout history.  African American women, just like in slavery, have been asked to sacrifice their bodies and safety for this country without receiving consideration for their health needs in return.  The military regulations show that our hair needs are not considered worthy of even basic understanding.  If they knew anything about curly hair, they would know the benefits of such styles like braids and twists.  If they knew just a small amount about styling our hair texture, they would know that to insist on wearing our hair in a bun, it would require our hair to be braided or twisted first for proper manipulation.  Instead, the expectation is that our hair will somehow easily be molded into a bun despite the challenges that poses.  For the women in the military who are natural, this poses pressure to either straighten or relax their hair.

Because of these regulations, the consequences for the hair health of women in the military could be just as detrimental as they were for slave women.  Many of us who are natural did so because of harsh side effects from the chemicals in hair relaxers or from damage done from constant flat ironing.  Many of us suffered from thinning hair, scalp burns, and even complete hair loss.  Yet, these regulations are essentially forcing women to adopt relaxed or heat straightened hair since no other option complies with their guidelines.

It is a shame that even in 2014 and the fact that these women are sacrificing themselves for this country, their basic needs cannot be met in return.  Just like in slavery, there was no attempt to understand our hair needs, even on the most elementary of levels.  If the military really appreciated their black female soldiers, they would reconsider these regulations and create less biased guidelines.  These women are risking their lives to keep us all safe, and in return, they are only asking for their hair to be valued for the way it grows naturally.

[By Jane Lorraine]