The service started a process to review its existing standards nearly two years ago. A group of Army leaders and stakeholders found many of the rules to be ambiguous and difficult to interpret, Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer said during a Sept. 8 media panel.
The updates, which go into effect Oct. 15, seek to keep a conservative appearance for both men and women, Weimer said.
“What sets the U.S. Army apart is our professionalism, and that’s a direct reflection of committed Soldiers who adhere to and enforce the standards,” Weimer said in an announcement of the new rules Monday. “This definitive guidance gives leaders the tools they need to do just that. You don’t have to memorize it, but you should know what right looks like.”
The move follows looser standards published four years ago, which allowed men to wear clear nail polish, women to wear lipstick and soldiers of all genders to have highlights that blended with their uniform colors, among other changes.
Under the new standards, men will no longer be allowed to wear clear nail polish, lipstick will be prohibited and only natural hair color will be allowed. Women will be permitted to use clear nail polish, as opposed to the previous rules, which placed limits on only “extreme” colors.
The changes also impose more specific rules for earrings, allowing women to wear only gold, silver, diamond or pearl studs — one in each earlobe — and a maximum of six millimeters in diameter.
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The new rules were created by a representative group, according to an Army release, but the service did not give more details about who developed them.
The looser rules introduced in 2021 were the work of a 17-soldier panel established to promote diversity and inclusion, the service said at the time. Suggestions were proposed by troops and voted on by panel members, who came from commands across the force. The panel was made up of 10 Black women, four white women, one Hispanic woman, one Hispanic man and one Black man.
In its Monday release, the Army said “there was an overwhelming consensus on the need to realign all Army standards with warfighting priorities.”
The updated rules for hair, as outlined by the Army, include:
- Shaved heads are authorized for both male and female soldiers.
- Women are allowed to wear ponytails only with Army combat uniforms and physical fitness uniforms; they’re prohibited in dress uniforms. The maximum allowable length is six inches from top of collar.
- Women are permitted to wear braids, twists and locs, if they are uniformly styled. They can be in a ponytail or two braids, with a maximum size of two inches wide and six inches long from the top of the collar. Braided ponytails are prohibited with dress uniforms.
- Women may wear a hairstyle of short sides and a long top if there is a maximum of two inches on top. Buns, braids, twists and ponytails, as well as asymmetrical cuts, are prohibited with this style.
- There are stricter taper and fade requirements for men’s hairstyles. Braids, twists and locs are prohibited for men, as are designs in their hair.
- Natural hair colors are the only colors permissible for all soldiers, including extensions and wigs.
- Faddish designs are prohibited for both men and women.
The clarified makeup policies stipulate:
- Makeup is permitted to achieve an even skin tone only. It must match a soldier’s natural complexion, and the application must be conservative.
- Makeup cannot be used to cover tattoos.
- Lipstick is prohibited; only clear or skin-toned lip gloss is allowed.
- Eyelash extensions of any kind are prohibited. False lashes may be authorized through a medical profile in situations when soldiers have lost their natural lashes.
The rules for nails are:
- Women must keep nails at a maximum of one-fourth inch in length. Only clear nail polish is allowed, and nails must be either squared off or rounded.
- Men must keep their nails trimmed and not extending past their fingertips. No nail polish is authorized, including clear polish, unless by medical exemption.
Jewelry standards include:
- Women are permitted to wear only gold, silver, diamond or pearl stud earrings at a maximum diameter of six millimeters. They can wear only one stud per ear, and no other piercings are allowed.
- All jewelry is prohibited for men.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
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