The hair situation- plebe summer 2019

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Mar 24, 2019
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Figured I’d go ahead and start a separate thread since it’s been mentioned a few others. I still have some questions about what this means and I assume other girls do too.

Girls are not required to cut their hair above their chin this year but they still have to keep it within navy regs.

Can I wear my hair down during plebe summer if it’s above my shirt collar?
Am I allowed to wear a pony tail or does it have to be in a bun? (Bun is just more time consuming to construct)

Kinda wish we just had to cut it above the chin. Plain and simple. Oh well
 
You can wear your hair down as long as its in regs. So basically stand at attention with a collared shirt on... as long as it is the 1-1/2” max below the top of the collar you are good. The general rule of thumb has always been... if it touches the bottom of the collar when at attention, then it needs to be up. The grow out phase sucked. Luckily my roommate French braided my hair until it got long enough for a bun. A ponytail is not allowed in uniform except in PT gear, blue over khaki and jogging suits (sometimes). The regs call this all out on the nuances and details. Best to read them and understand them. If you don’t cut your hair, I would practice a bun daily. Honestly a 1/C female Mid with long hair can probably do a bun in their sleep in less than 20 seconds. It becomes second nature. You tube has tons of videos to help out too.
 
I can say for myself that I am going to just get the plebe chop. How I look at it is that I did not have a problem with cutting my hair when I applied, so I do not have one now. After weighing out the pros and cons list with cutting and keeping my hair, there were just too many cons on the side of keeping it. We will have our hair up most of the time anyway while at the Academy, so a few months of an awkward bun during the academic year is worth leaving the stress of a perfect bun behind during the summer for me.
 
NavyHoops is right about practice making for fast bun creation. My DD (3/C at USMMA) can put up her very long hair in a stay-all-day bun in eight seconds flat. She has years as a dancer so she had an advantage. Most girls can do it under 30 seconds. It takes practice though, so start now if you plan to keep your hair long. Most girls I know think it is a lot easier keeping their hair out of their face in a bun than when it is hanging down (think pushups for example), it is a lot cooler during humid summer months to have it off their neck, and it is easier to manage a bun with a cover. Just my 2 cents.
 
I’m currently at NAPS and my hair touches my butt and a daily bun has been the least of my worries, however i will be cutting off a foot and a half because female detailers will more than likely target girls with long hair. You can wear a short ponytail above your collar now. Cutting it too short to ponytail it, it will stick to your face during PT. During the year you can set your alarm to whatever time you need to get up early and do your hair. Don’t overthink it. Whatever you do, it will grow back and unless you keep it short which is high maintenance in itself, you will have to learn the ways of the ponytail and bun throughout the four years.
 
I wish our son had a bun. He has sacrificed his hair to the Army. :(
 
I believe that you have answered your own question. That is plain and simple - and if it works for you - do it.

Our DD will be a Plebe this summer. Our DS and several of his friends will be first session Detailers this summer. They had a brief that indicated that the former regs in this link for Plebe summer for females will be augmented to match Navy regs no longer requiring the chin length cut. They finally recognize that hair that is too short is difficult to manage and keep out of the face.
 
Poor guys - no equal opportunity for them, of simply complying with existing grooming regs and getting a regular haircut if needed on I-Day. They will probably still get buzzed, a throwback to little kid days and not having to worry about hair at all in the summer.

Of course, they could buzz 100% and there wouldn’t be any hair in the face issue at all, for anyone.

Joking. Joking. Joking.

The purpose of the women’s plebe chop was to treat women equivalently by giving them a fairly uniform cut. Culturally, the norm for most men is short hair, so take it all the way short, for all men. Women at this age typically have longer hair, so take it shorter as an equivalent, but not the extreme of a buzz, which would be technically equal, but more culturally off-balance. For many women, the plebe chop was an easy wash and go routine. For some, it was more difficult because of their hair texture, and there is more recognition for those challenges now.

This is classic military - endless discussion and rumination on changes to grooming or uniform regs, a constant in every military force. No doubt the Romans and other more ancient groups talked about the latest regs or uniform change.

Always entertaining.

My perennial recommendations: Capezio Bunhead long hairpins, Amazon or dance supply stores. YouTube videos abound on military women’s bun techniques.
Practice for speed and neatness, with wet hair, damp hair, dry hair, sweaty hair, dirty hair, frizzy hair.
Practice without a mirror. There will be 3-4 of you in a room, 1 sink, 1 shower, 1 mirror.
I can still put mine up in about 8-15 seconds, nothing fancy. French braiding or other techniques take a bit longer, but with practice comes speed and neatness.
A tube of styling product that’s a frizz/flyaway killer that works on wet, damp or dry hair is a good thing for a care package. Not sure what you can bring with you, now that this change is pending. Mid Store has some stuff, but visits are scheduled during PS and not as you need to.
 
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My DD has very short hair, but has talked about buzzing her head for two years now. She is planning on doing this for state swim meet in May, not sure if this is a good idea going into Plebe summer or not?!
 
Only a current Mid can answer that. The old reg which is linked is the standard I served under and has been the standard at USNA for decades. There is a line in there about eccentric haircuts. A buzz cut for a woman was considered that when I served. Not sure how it’s viewed now. I mean they buzz them for Ranger school (women included), so not sure how it’s viewed.
 
My mid-sibs have claimed that they are going to buzz their heads in solidarity with their P2B bro (in reality sister sib has wanted to do for a while just for the experience of the social change, and I think bro sib just doesn't want to be left out - LOL). We shall see. :rolleyes:
 
Only a current Mid can answer that. The old reg which is linked is the standard I served under and has been the standard at USNA for decades. There is a line in there about eccentric haircuts. A buzz cut for a woman was considered that when I served. Not sure how it’s viewed now. I mean they buzz them for Ranger school (women included), so not sure how it’s viewed.
Thanks! Will ask on that site!
 
The early classes had to keep their hair short for all four years at USNA. We could grow it out only upon commissioning (though if you look at graduation pix, you'll see that we all started cheating). I french-braided my hair for much (not all) of my time on AD. I honestly can't say that it was in ANY way easier than having a short cut -- I got to be pretty fast but it still was a pain. However, once I left AD, I actually cut it short (above bottom edge of collar) again and have kept it that way for most of my life. I've found that many of my classmates have done the same.

I think a lot of upperclass of late wear hair long b/c short hair has historically been associated with plebes and b/c long, straight hair is currently the fashion. It will be interesting to see if long hair remains as popular when all women at USNA can have it long . . . and when styles in general change. Only time will tell.
 
I have learned more about military women's haircuts, styles and how to wear them on this thread than I did in all my time in the service or all my time on earth now that I think about it.

Another educational opportunity for me and yet another value added service of the service academy forum.
 
My DD went with the pixie cut (just don't call it that to her face :D). We went to my stylist and had it done before I-Day. She has fine hair that breaks easily and would not take neatly to a bun (lots of little bits sticking out). She's 1/C now and hasn't regretted it. She does need to go to the barber shop more often, and it's sometimes hit-or-miss with what she comes out with, but for her - short is best.
 
I have learned more about military women's haircuts, styles and how to wear them on this thread than I did in all my time in the service or all my time on earth now that I think about it.

Another educational opportunity for me and yet another value added service of the service academy forum.

Actually you bring up a great point. One thing I learned in the military is that a lot of the men will defer to the women to handle things like hair. In this case more senior female Mids help Plebes with tips and tricks. But, it is important for the men, including male Mids, to know, understand, and enforce women’s hair and uniform standards. So goes for female Mids knowing men’s standards.
 
I echo what Capt MJ said. The change in hair regs was largely due to equal opportunity issues. While many plebe's hair grows back within the academic year, there are some 2/C who still struggle with growing out their plebe cut because of their hair texture. There were also issues of equality regarding who could and could not get a weave/braids over plebe summer. I think the regulation change is for the better to help increase equal opportunity for all incoming women.

That being said, I will warn P2Bs about showing up to PS with extremely long hair. West Point has allowed their plebe women to have long hair over Beast, and they have had problems with mold growing in women's hair. Each day after pep you will have less than 20 minutes to shower and change between yourself and 1-3 roommates. This might not be enough time to thoroughly wash you hair before it goes up into a tight bun for the rest of the day. You will get PTd throughout the day, and I promise you will never stop sweating. Your hair will likely never dry.

If you choose not to get the plebe chop, my recommendation is to get it cut to a length where you can easily wash it while taking a timed shower. You are allowed to put it in a ponytail during pep. In white works you will have to put it in a bun unless you can have a low pony that ends less than three inches below the collar. Keep in mind that YOU WILL PT in your white works everyday. Most importantly, DO NOT sleep with your hair in a bun. This is the easiest way for mold to start growing, and the few seconds you will save in the morning is not worth it. I believe detailers are being told to make sure plebes don't sleep with their hair in a bun.

Hope this helps!
 
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