This seems like a positively absurd regulation... But then so does the facial hair thing for men...

"Then I found what's apparently the new draft of the Uniform Regs and it has an update to the leg hair section! OMG!!1! Why isn't the mainstream media reporting on this?!"

The military has always had a thing about grooming standards. And how to execute the drill manual.

I was in the Marines. For five years. As a dude. You have to get a hair cut every week. Every. Week. You have to shave your face every day. Every. Day. You can get chewed out on your Sunday if the wrong asshole sees you.

We endure.

I find your confusion strange. I talked to some female marines about their boot camp experience and they had to shave their legs every day in boot camp (and they had to do a razor count to make sure none were kept due to suicide risks).

"Somebody better clarify ASAP or I might have to appoint myself as the guinea pig test case. I'll be the pain-in-the-rear who stops shaving to see what happens. I can't believe this is even an issue and that they are being so vague about it."

I can clarify it for you. You will first be verbally counseled for failing to uphold grooming standards. Failure to act on this verbal counseled will lead to a written counseling (Page 11 entry) Further lack of action will affect your Pro/Cons (Proficiency and Conduct ratings), which could lead to you being Non-Rec'd (not recommended) for promotion and possibly your demotion.

(Do you really not know this?)

I feel like I have to call BS. I went to your blog spot, and saw some of the pics of Marines, but your post does not give the appearance of someone who is really in the Marines. Seriously.

You joined a totalitarian organization that intentionally attempts to institutionalize you for 3 months (With refresher courses:NCO School, Sgt Course, SNCO course, et cetera). At times your chain of command literally may have the power of life and death over you. You can be demoted if you are 15-30 minutes late to work (seen the results). The Marines are demanding. If you don't want to put up with it, do like I did, get out after your enlistment is up. But while your in, your in.

Well when I was in boot camp, not only were we NOT allowed to shave our legs PERIOD for the first month, we were also not able to or even allowed to shave them every day. It just wasn't a big deal like men shaving their face every day. That's part of the reason I said the order was vague. Why would we be allowed to grow hair in boot camp if it was against the rules? Obviously, there's a gray area here. Women are NOT expected to shave their legs every day. So how long does hair have to get before it's a problem? The order is vague.

You don't need to lecture me about the punishments I would supposedly endure and lecture me about putting up with the "demanding" rules. I've been a Marine for going on six years now and I know the rules, so thanks anyway.

P.S. There are much more serious problems with the Marine Corps than leg hair but it's just a fun thing to talk about that never comes up normally! I hope nobody thought I was truly angry. Geez.

It's interesting that you question whether I'm really a Marine. Why? Because I'm wondering about one vague rule that the majority of Marines have no clue about or care about because it doesn't affect them?

Shall I post a serious article about military rape instead of a slightly goofy one about leg hair to help convince you?

What about electric razors? Are Marines allowed to use them? They hurt less, take less time, and you can use them while warmly wrapped up in a towel. Also I imagine it would be extremely hard to practice self-harm or actually commit suicide with one.

Steven,

Jaysus, lighten up.

I don't know what kind of unit you were in, but I've served with a few marines and none of them whined about getting their hair cut every week. In fact, one of my good friends is a former marine and I've seen all the lovely uniform photos and he wore his hair longer than my Army husband, who does not get it cut once a week.

Your experience is not universal, not even in the totalitarian marine corps.

It doesn't matter what we use to remove hair, face or legs, as long as the hair is gone!

I hope nobody thought I was writing this as if it was a serious, important issue in the same realm as rape. I was kidding about the MSM comment, really! :-)

It just surprises me sometimes how mean men can
be when it comes to women who dare grow leg hair.
And the Marine Corps apparently still thinks it's
gross too if they don't want us to have it...

"I don't know what kind of unit you were in, but I've served with a few marines and none of them whined about getting their hair cut every week."

Thats the point. We didn't complain becuase that was the way things were.

The OP has been in for six years and she is claiming that she would be a guniea pig on this? What would happen? She is posturing to someone. Watch Generation Kill if you want to get an idea about the ridiculousness of grooming standards.

Of all the things to complain about...

I guess I'm just being nit-picky, but you cut your hair so it doesn't touch your ear, which is every 2 weeks for my husband. He's in the guard so every month the day before he has to go in he gets his hair cut.

And no one needs to shave their legs every day. It doesn't grow as fast as facial hair. The military is pretty finicky about sticking to grooming rules, so you probably will get in trouble. It's stupid about the leg hair, but men cannot have facial hair/or head hair touching their ear (which is like 1/3" in length, so not long). I guess you can see what happens, but if things go badly I would suggest picking up an electric razor and using that.

You just did complain. And I didn't see them cutting their hair every week. Would have noticed. After a few weeks of marching, you get really good at telling guys apart from the back of their necks and noticing when they get a haircut.

The reason the standard is vague is because it requires no unsightly hair. She would be a guinea pig because every base is different, and when I was in and some evil woman thought my lipstick was out of regs (I will give her that it was UGLY), I didn't get any 'punishment' I just got lectured. No one else with supervisory authority who saw me when I wore it had anything to say. Plus it might be hard to enforce an unclear reg. like this one.

What I did was compare and contrast.

And the Guard is not the Marines.

You hair has to be cut to zero inches every week. If you are in a lax unit you might be able to get a way with the 'low reg' hair cut, but the higher up the ranks you go the less that passess. If it passes at all.

If that was directed to me, I actually did not work with guardsmen (I know RiotGrrl said something about the guard).

Actually, it's a common misconception that male Marines must get a haircut every week, every pay period, or at any other set interval. The order says they must be well-groomed at all times and that "The hair may be clipped at the edges of the side and back and will be evenly graduated all the way around the head...from zero length at the hairline in the lower portion of the head to the upper portion of the head." So technically, once the lowest layer gets to more than zero, it's not within regs. Technically. But at least it's very specific. It couldn't be any more vague for leg hair.

Most of the male Marines I've known complain about haircuts at some point and often about having to shave their face too. In fact, whenever two or more Marines are together, they do a lot of complaining about the Marine Corps in general. It's been a running joke in several of my units in fact.

"Of all the things to complain about"? What do you think I did, made a list of complaints and then very carefully chose "leg hair" as the most important one? Hahaha! Funny how if you think it's so dumb you keep coming back and commenting...

"Actually, it's a common misconception that male Marines must get a haircut every week, every pay period, or at any other set interval."

Dollars to donuts when a male marine shows up to any new unit his platoon sgt will give him is initial counseling and on that counceling he will be told to get a hair cut every week.

The uniform and grooming standards that are written down are always the least stringent a Marine is held too. Trust me, every unit I have been in, or attached to, or have known Marines in, requires the weekly hair cut, down to zero.

That might be what a unit says, but that's not what's required according to the order. All the order says is that hair should be cut to zero, not how often it should be cut.

"That might be what a unit says, but that's not what's required according to the order. All the order says is that hair should be cut to zero, not how often it should be cut."

Come on now, if you have been in the Marines for six years now you should know how it works.

The de facto requirement is the weekly. The military runs on de facto requirements. Any large organization runs on de facto requirements.

You should read Catch-22. All about de facto requirements.

Steven: You should read some feminism 101. All about why it's not up to you to tell feminists what they should worry about, or make the assumption that we can't worry about more than one thing at once.

sheesh... and people say the FEMINISTS are humourless... ;)

I am approaching this as someone who served five years in the Marines... not as someone responding to an article about body hair.

Our OP claims to be a Marine with six years of service, yet apparently lacks a fundamental understanding of how the Marines operates.

I get all the stuff about 'unsightly' this and 'unsightly' that. I do. But after six years our OP should be a non-commissioned officer (if she was not busted down) and she should not be complaining to the world about grooming standers. Not her job at that point. In any capacity.

I read this post and I feel like a Corporal again. I did five years in the Marines. I have conflicting feelings about my time in and the Iraqi war.

But I took that shit seriously. And according to her blog she is a Sergeant on MSG duty who apparently has no real understanding of the Marines.

My mind boggles.

"sheesh... and people say the FEMINISTS are humourless... ;)"

When it comes to the Marines, probably. She claims to be a Sergeant, she should act like on. Its one of the freaking burdens. She is part of the establishment at that point. It is her job to perpetuate this stuff. I got on Marines becuase they did not have their shave. Do I care outside of the Marines, fuck no. But your in. You follow the rules. And you complain later. Not as a Sergeant, not as a Corporal, and not as a Marine, point blank.

How strange... I really don't see how your leg hair really factors into performance as a Marine. I really do wonder what goes through the heads of who ever writes these regulations. It's been my experiance in the army at least, that regulations are either over or under enforced depending on the poltics at one's unit. "Unsightly" might be anything from some stubble to a inch or so of hair depending on who is judging.

Its not the hair, its toeing the 'corporate line'. If she is a sergeant, she needs to toe the line. And not complain. Its called setting the example. It may not be the example you would set if it were up to you, but it is the example you are expected to set.