The US military would review its policies with regard to female hairstyles following outcry from certain quarters, who called the use of certain words in its grooming vocabulary as "offensive and biased", the Pentagon has said.
US Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel ordered a review of the policy, particularly for African-American females following an objection from members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who had earlier raised the issue with him.
Hagel made this announcement in a letter to the members of the Congress.
"Hagel sent a letter to the Hill today directing the Deputy Secretary of Defense to work with the service secretaries and military chiefs to review their respective policies to address the issues raised by members of Congress about grooming standards, particularly for African-American females," Pentagon Press Secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby, said yesterday.
"So within the next 30 days, each service will review the definitions of authorised and prohibited hairstyles contained in each of their respective policies and revise any offencive language," he said.
During the next three months, each service will review their hairstyle policies as they pertain to African-American women to ensure standards are fair and respectful of our diverse force while also meeting our military services' requirements, he added.
"After he (Hagel) gets these reviews, and after a thorough review of the service recommendations, he will make whatever appropriate adjustments to DOD policies as necessary," Kirby told reporters.
All 16 women members of the Congressional Black Caucus had raised the issue in a letter to Hagel on April 10.
"The use of words like 'unkempt' and 'matted' when referring to traditional hairstyles worn by women of colour are offensive and biased. The assumption that individuals wearing these hairstyles cannot maintain them in a way that meets the professionalism of Army standards indicates a lack of cultural sensitivity conducive to creating a tolerant environment for minorities," they said in the letter.
Yesterday, the Congressional Black Caucus welcoming the move said, "I want to thank Secretary Hagel for his thoughtful response to the concerns of Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and to many women of colour currently serving in our Armed Forces,".
"Secretary Hagel has also assured us that the Army's intent with AR 670-1 was not to offend or discriminate against women of colour," Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Marcia L Fudge said said.
Grooming guidelines released in late March, known as Army Regulation 670-1, included rules on hair grooming. Among the "unauthorized styles" were natural hairstyles popular among African-American women, including twists, the Washington Post reported.
