Class of 2015 - Women's Haircut

We want to make sure we read the information correctly. Is it true women's hair is supposed to be cut slightly above chin without rubber bands and/or braids?

From the Permit to Report package

For female Plebes-

Over Plebe Summer it is recommended to have a haircut that is short and minimizes care due to high activity levels of Plebe Summer. There is little time if any to blow dry or style hair. On I-Day all Plebes will receive a haircut to just above their chin (this includes braided hair). To facilitate the check-in process you are strongly encouraged to report with hair styles that are within the standards discussed above; however all Plebes will be processed through the barber shop.

It would appear to me that even if you have it braided, it gets cut even with the line of the chin, for Plebe Summer at least. After that you have to stay within the options allowed by regulations.

Yup! As above stated by Spanky. Everyone goes through the Shop. If it is within regs (for women over the collar) not a big deal and they probably just pass the scissors over their head. Take your daughter to have her hair cut before she arrives. They are not stylists at the Shop. Plebe Summer and Plebe Year is tough for women to do hair care. During the rest of years they can let it grow as long as they want if they can keep it within uniform regulations. If her hair is really long she might look into Locks for Love.

Awesome. We wanted to make sure before she went to her hairstylist to get it cut.

Yes, her hair is really long and gorgeous. She will be donating her hair to Locks for Love.

Thank you all for your quick responses.

God Bless.

So which length?

So is it above the collar or chin length? My own hair is about 2 inches below my chin and above the collar. DD is distressed about cutting her hair as it is, so if we get it cut to the chin when it could have stayed a few inches longer I wont hear the end of it! (even if we only hear about it in letters and 3 minute phone calls LOL!)

Thanks!

2015mom said:

So is it above the collar or chin length? My own hair is about 2 inches below my chin and above the collar. DD is distressed about cutting her hair as it is, so if we get it cut to the chin when it could have stayed a few inches longer I wont hear the end of it! (even if we only hear about it in letters and 3 minute phone calls LOL!)

Thanks!

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Plan on having it cut day before I day to eliminate distress now. There are several shops in Annapolis that can do the job. After I-Day she will be highly distressed for other reasons and will completly forget about how long her hair is or is not.

trims?

Just curious, do they "trim" the girls' hair over the summer, or can it just grow for 6 weeks?

I-Day Haircut: My DD cut her hair a few days before I-Day. However, on I-Day the Shop determined it was not short enough and cut it again. The Shop is not about style. On I-day, before cutting my DD hair, the Shop did not remove the hair clip she had in her. As a result, the front part of her hair was way longer than any other the part of her hair and that's how it remained throughout Plebe Summer. If you are cutting hair before I-day (highly recommneded), please make sure hair is about two inches above collar or it will be cut again on I-Day.

Not sure if there's time during Plebe summer to visit the Shop. A nice treat over PPW might be a trip to the salon to fix whatever the Shop did. During the course of the year the Shop is available for haircuts. MIDS pay for this service whether or not they use it. Generally, the girls don't use it.

2015mom said:

Just curious, do they "trim" the girls' hair over the summer, or can it just grow for 6 weeks?

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If you look at pictures of female plebes from years past it evolves from a "wet rat" look to hair is pulled back into a bun and tucked under the cover look. By week 3 or 4 all plebes start to smell bad from lack of proper hygene and the effects of 90% humidity. Again, the hair issue goes away due to higher priorities. She will survive like all the female mids before her.

2015mom, the "hair thing" will be one of the first of hundreds of things your DD will have to figure out as a plebe, a midshipman and eventually as a Navy or Marine officer.

She will figure it all out as she navigates the summer. It will be a point of bonding with other women, and she will watch and learn from the upperclass women on all things hair. The hair grows out during the summer, but it has to meet regs, so there may well be a haircut/trim up during that period. Her detailers (Plebe Summer midshipman training group) will not hesitate to let her know what needs to be done.

Personal vanity is one of the first things thrown to the roadside during plebe summer, and earlier posters are correct about other things being higher stressors than the hair. I realize at this age, her long and beautiful hair is very much a part of who she is as a young woman, but she will dig deep, shed the superficial, and enjoy growing her hair back and learning the ropes of various uniform-suitable hair styles.

Tell her to say "it's just hair, it will grow" a bunch of times, with a weak smile, as she envisions herself down the road as a Navy or Marine ____________ (fill in blank with her dream). Losing the hair is the first down payment on her dream, with more to come. It will ALL BE WORTH IT when she throws her cover in the air on Commissioning Day! Look for photos of plebe women during the summer. Then look for photos of graduating women doing the hat toss, for example, here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:T...aduation_from_United_States_Naval_Academy.jpg
That is the arc of her journey! Focus on the joy of that day in 2015.

Things have changed back & forth for women mids over the years. In my day (LONG time ago, I know), women had to have hair above "bottom edge of the collar" throughout their 4 yrs. Then it went to short during PS and whatever length (put up, of course) the rest of the time -- to mimic the USN/USMC standard.

Then, I seem to recall, women could have their hair long during PS. IMO, that was a bad idea b/c, other than Sunday mornings, there is simply no time to do anything to it -- even twist it into a bun -- and gives you another thing to worry about (hair falling out of bun). I was as feminine as they came and I NEVER even ran a blow dryer through my hair during PS other than Sundays -- just no time.

Now, it seems, they're back to something along the lines of what happened in my day. I suggest getting your hair cut at your usual hairdresser before you go. Err on the short side -- as noted, hair grows back. Yes, there will be a few tough months w/lots of clips as you re-transition from short to long after PS but women have been enduring that since day 1.

Finally, I can confirm what the men (I think) above have said -- your hair is the least of your concerns during PS. The guys have no hair! You're hot and humid (e.g., sweaty) all of the time. You're busy all of the time. Hard to explain until you've done it.

One other thing -- skip the makeup for PS other than for church on Sundays (if you choose to attend). It will melt and turn your Whiteworks into a complete mess. Fine for Ac Year but stay away during PS even if your complexion isn't the greatest. As noted, no one cares.

If women have any questions, feel free to PM me.

I'll add my '02 cents since I was once that female plebe. I too had LONG hair and chose to cut it and get it styled prior to I-Day. Trust me, the conveyer type process they'll be going through on I-Day also stays true to the barber shop stop.

they will not take time to even things out, give you a nice short stylish look. they will give you a straight cut, basically cut and spin your chair around until they've made a full circle.

Looking back I honestly would have wished to have gone shorter prior to I-Day just because w/ all the rigorous activity and stuff my hair started to get into my eyes and hairties and stuff just weren't cutting it. if they feel your hair is too long they will cut it...and if you hair is well within the regs, they will cut a hair or too if you want just to say they cut your hair.

Back in my day we did have at least one trip to the barber shop that i recall during plebe summer. all of us girls looked forward to this time for several reasons...one being getting time away from the detailers and another getting some beauty time!!

Again, strongly recommend you get your own stylist to do the cut before showing up b/c otherwise it's not going to be pretty!

The current standard is as the other ladies have stated: cut above the collar. Over plebe summer, we weren't allowed to put it back. If it was getting long, we had to get it trimmed.

I got my hair cut a couple days before I-day and a little shorter than the minimum standard. The downside was that it took a little longer to grow back, but at the end of the day it didn't matter and I was more comfortable over the summer than the girls who got the chop down at the barber's. It's pretty much the most inconvenient hair length possible.

Are any clips/hair elastics allowed during PS? If they are, what exactly are you allowed to have and how many clips/elastics? I was thinking one of those elastic headbands or pre-wrap might be a good option for keeping hair out of my face, if it is allowed.

The regs used to allow clips, etc. if they matched hair color. Not sure what is permitted today.

I would only say that, for PS, hair clips will be a pain. My strong recommendation is to go short (and stylish) for PS. It's only 8 weeks of your life. After that, do whatever makes you comfortable and looks good. You'll have MUCH more time to work with blow dryers, curling irons, straighteners, buns, french braids, and the like during Ac year.