Are Locs Allowed???

allnurses Guide · Nov 14, 2009

i passed that message thinking she would be upset at your sarcasm and hoping she would have a witty response for you but her professionalism refused to give me, or you, the satisfaction. Hence her reply:
"Thanks!"

Well since she chooses to have locks and still be in the in the military then her professionalism is highly questionable to start with. Also, since everyone in the military is judged by each others appearance I find dreadlocks disrespectful and degrading for all of us in the military that have to answer for her hair style. It makes the rest of us look bad.

Delta04RN09 · Nov 14, 2009

i was under the impression that people were judged by their character, not their appearance..but I'm not in the military so I wouldn't know. To besides, no one can judge ME but God so hey!

either way...to each their own. as long as people are kind to one another, willing to help each other and not purposefully trying to bring others down, that's what really counts.

have a blessed day! :)

allnurses Guide · Nov 15, 2009

i was under the impression that people were judged by their character, not their appearance..but I'm not in the military so I wouldn't know. To besides, no one can judge ME but God so hey!
either way...to each their own. as long as people are kind to one another, willing to help each other and not purposefully trying to bring others down, that's what really counts.
have a blessed day! :)

Let me put this another way so maybe you can see my point of view even if you don't agree with it. Probably at some point you have seen the Marines guarding the White House. All the Marines have uniforms that are immaculate, and they all pretty much look same all the way up to their haircuts. How would you think someone would judge them if one of the Marines came out with hair that was at the max length the regulations allowed, was overweight, and his uniform was out of order. Do you think everyone is going to remember all the other Marines whose uniforms/apperance were perfect or the one Marine who was out of sorts? The one guy maybe the greatest person on Earth, but all the other Marines are 1st and foremost going to be judged by the other's appearance.

Being in the Military is not like being in the Boy/Girl Scouts. It is not chairtable organization. We are a uniformed military service. Which means not only do wear a uniform, but we are uniform in appearance.

Trauma Columnist · Nov 16, 2009

If dreadlocks are allowed in the military, then the OP should have no problem. However, as a vet, married to a career military man, I do agree to some degree with wtbcrna: the military is all about conforming, leaving you as the individual behind to be a part of something bigger. In order to do this, we must all conform to standards that are far stricter than the civilian world.

If "locs" are allowed, no problem then, I'm sure the OP wears them professionally and keeps them in accordance with regulation.

Since we have answered this question, I think we can move on.

nuberianne_RN · Nov 16, 2009

Well since she chooses to have locks and still be in the in the military then her professionalism is highly questionable to start with. Also, since everyone in the military is judged by each others appearance I find dreadlocks disrespectful and degrading for all of us in the military that have to answer for her hair style. It makes the rest of us look bad.

Your post is discriminatory and it is highly offensive to me. I wore locs the last two years I was in the military. I continue to wear them today. There is nothing unprofessional about locs in and of themselves. My locs and those belonging to others I know personally groom them just like any other hairstyle. Some hairstyles such as locs are seen predominately in specific ethnicities. Therefore, your comments appear to me as being racist.

nuberianne_RN · Nov 16, 2009

Let me put this another way so maybe you can see my point of view even if you don't agree with it. Probably at some point you have seen the Marines guarding the White House. All the Marines have uniforms that are immaculate, and they all pretty much look same all the way up to their haircuts. How would you think someone would judge them if one of the Marines came out with hair that was at the max length the regulations allowed, was overweight, and his uniform was out of order. Do you think everyone is going to remember all the other Marines whose uniforms/apperance were perfect or the one Marine who was out of sorts? The one guy maybe the greatest person on Earth, but all the other Marines are 1st and foremost going to be judged by the other's appearance.
Being in the Military is not like being in the Boy/Girl Scouts. It is not chairtable organization. We are a uniformed military service. Which means not only do wear a uniform, but we are uniform in appearance.

Women who wear locs pull them back into buns all the time. That is the style that many women with longer hair wear in the military so I don't get your point.

allnurses Guide · Nov 16, 2009

Your post is discriminatory and it is highly offensive to me. I wore locs the last two years I was in the military. I continue to wear them today. There is nothing unprofessional about locs in and of themselves. My locs and those belonging to others I know personally groom them just like any other hairstyle. Some hairstyles such as locs are seen predominately in specific ethnicities. Therefore, your comments appear to me as being racist.

There is saying in the Marines everyone's color is green and there are only different shades of green. That is good idea of how I think everyone in the military should be treated. I don't care if you interpret my comments as racist....I think dreadlocs are ugly and unprofessional. Now, I may have the wrong idea of what someone is calling dreadlocs vs. what I am thinking of as dreadlocs, but that is a problem with just describing something versus actually seeing it. Next time I see someone guarding the president with dreadlocs maybe I will change my mind...

Trauma Columnist · Nov 16, 2009

Ok everyone! Deep breath!

Since the OP has gotten their answer and hasn't returned and since we now seem to be a quandary as to whether a hairstyle is racist or not....I think we need to close this thread for a time out - will rethink this with other mods and revisit this tomorrow.