Airmen can now have longer mustaches, based on the newest costume and grooming coverage launched Thursday by the Division of the Air Drive. Additionally they have been granted extra flexibility to put on sure unit patches when assigned to joint missions with the House Drive.
In the meantime, the Navy has barely relaxed its prohibition on beards by permitting them to be worn by retired sailors whereas in costume uniform, new steerage from that service says.
The Air Drive, House Drive and Navy have all launched new grooming and uniform insurance policies this week, providing progressive updates to facial hair size, tattoo areas and make-up choices.
Learn Subsequent: House Drive Will Enable Neck Tattoos, Longer Mustaches and Extra Make-up Choices for Guardians
“These adjustments will permit Airmen further flexibilities as to the way to put on mustaches,” Gwendolyn DeFilippi, performing deputy chief of workers for manpower, personnel and providers, mentioned in a press launch. “Moreover, permitting airmen to put on sister-service patches of their present coloration configuration influences cohesiveness and delight whereas assigned to joint organizations.”
Just like the House Drive’s insurance policies unveiled earlier this week, airmen will now have the ability to develop mustaches a further one-fourth of an inch.
“No portion of the mustache will prolong beneath the lip line of the higher lip,” the up to date coverage reads. “Moreover, the mustache won’t transcend a horizontal line extending throughout the corners of the mouth and not more than 1/4 inch past a vertical line drawn from the nook of the mouth.”
It is a departure from the earlier steerage, which mentioned airmen’s mustaches will “not prolong downward past the lip line of the higher lip or prolong sideways past a vertical line drawn upward from each corners of the mouth.”
The opposite coverage replace, based on the Air Drive’s press launch, is permitting airmen to put on patches worn by Guardians when working in joint models collectively.
“Airmen assigned, hooked up, detailed, or activated in assist of sister-service models or joint organizations can now put on the unit’s patches in accordance with the sister service or joint organizations put on directions,” the up to date coverage reads.
These badges or patches could be worn within the House Drive’s or joint group’s coloration configuration as a substitute of the Air Drive’s spice brown coloration.
Final 12 months, the Air Drive accepted extra coiffure choices for feminine service members, permitting them to put on their hair in two braids, a single braid or ponytail that extends so far as the underside of the shoulder blades. Moreover, the service is creating a maternity flight swimsuit and a wrap-style costume for pregnant airmen.
Beards are nonetheless off-limits for airmen, besides beneath sure medical waivers or non secular exemptions.
In the meantime, the Navy, which has lengthy held on to its ban on beards in uniform regardless of calls for from sailors for reduction, has relaxed its requirements ever so barely.
In an administrative message launched Friday, the service mentioned that it will now permit retired sailors to have facial hair, together with beards, “when carrying Navy uniforms throughout licensed ceremonial occasions.”
The discover added that the hair “should be neatly groomed and be consistent with knowledgeable look.”
Whereas seemingly minor, the change is the newest in a sequence of loosening guidelines round shaving and, extra particularly, the ingrown hairs and pores and skin irritations often known as pseudofolliculitis barbae, or PFB.
In March, the Navy introduced that those that undergo from PFB won’t need to shave, and the service’s steerage for treating, sustaining and addressing their beards has been up to date as effectively. The transfer did come amid rising reviews and research, like this text from Navy Instances in April, that the situation disproportionately impacts Black sailors.
The Navy’s argument for sustaining its pretty strict no beard coverage has largely targeted on the concept sailors with beards wouldn’t have the ability to get an efficient seal for a gasoline masks round their face, thus impacting their means to combat a possible shipboard hearth.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro not too long ago launched a examine, citing the ocean service’s dedication to range and inclusion, to check the problem of beards and face masks, prompting the opportunity of extra important adjustments down the street.
In the meantime, the House Drive launched its up to date costume and grooming insurance policies earlier this week to match the Air Drive — like sharing the identical expanded mustache coverage.
However the House Drive additionally unveiled a extra progressive tattoo coverage. It permits for a single neck tattoo so long as it’s applicable, smaller than one inch and stored to the again of the neck.
Girls within the House Drive are additionally now allowed to put on nail polish and lipstick in a single coloration “that doesn’t detract from the uniform” and isn’t a distracting hue comparable to gold, blue, black, and shiny or neon colours.
Males aren’t permitted to put on lipstick or nail polish, however “male Guardians are licensed to put on basis and concealer solely to cowl scars or blemishes,” the coverage states.
— Thomas Novelly could be reached at thomas.novelly@navy.com. Observe him on Twitter @TomNovelly.
— Konstantin Toropin could be reached at konstantin.toropin@navy.com. Observe him on Twitter @ktoropin.
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