# Marine boot camp, how long can females wear their hair? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 12, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062 "2017-07-12T03:06:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/1 "2017-07-12T03:06:26Z")
Hello Everyone, Or daughter had enlisted in the Marines and will be going to boot camp in a month. Are female recruits required to have their hair cut or can they wear it in a bun? From what I’ve read a bun is allowed after boot camp, but during it must be cut above shoulder length. Just curious, does anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/2 "2017-07-12T03:22:48Z")
I thought this was going to be about a boot camp where you learn to wear flannel shirts and talk in a funny accent. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/3 "2017-07-12T04:10:34Z")
A\_Yup ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/4 "2017-07-12T04:38:34Z")
What I find is that it must be above the collar and if not cut short must be put up. But from what I know of boot camp (which is definitely secondhand), going #2 for the duration would just be the simplest solution. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/5 "2017-07-12T05:18:26Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@SpeedwayRyan](#): > > I thought this was going to be about a boot camp where you learn to wear flannel shirts and talk in a funny accent. Typo in thread title fixed (Maine -\> Marine). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/6 "2017-07-12T06:13:35Z")
For some reason, I read “long” in the thread title to have the sense of time rather than length. It was very confusing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/7 "2017-07-12T12:18:02Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > Typo in thread title fixed (Maine -\> Marine). Thanks Mod. What would a thread of mine be like without a few typos? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/8 "2017-07-12T13:24:51Z")
Don’t know for sure, but it’s a good bet your daughter’s hair in boot camp will be a far sight longer than mine was. 😜 Congrats to her. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/9 "2017-07-12T14:15:33Z")
If men are forced to cut their hair shorter than women when in boot camp, could a man sue for sexual discrimination? I’m wondering what overriding purpose there could be for different rules depending on the gender of the trainee. And just to be clear, I’m not trying to start a debate. I’m asking a question, hoping someone with legal knowledge of the matter can answer. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/10 "2017-07-12T14:37:41Z")
The question occurred to me too. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Terrific](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tom_terrific/32/342_2.png) [@Tom\_Terrific](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Terrific)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/11 "2017-07-12T16:20:48Z")
According to this website, [Women Marines: Managing hair during boot camp? [Archive] - Marine Corps - USMC Community](http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-99103.html), the rules are the same in boot camp as in the fleet. I would say though that depending on the type of hair your daughter has would make a difference on how or if I would get it cut before camp. The reason is if the female boots get the same amount of free time for hair, shower, and so on as the men’s boots do, she won’t have time for much hair styling. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/12 "2017-07-12T16:49:52Z")
I was a soldier not a marine but the women were allowed to keep their long hair. I heard stories though where women were forced to roll around in the shredded tire pit to ensure that their buns were tight enough. Also I’ve been told that you don’t want your hair too short or you can’t tie it up properly. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/13 "2017-07-12T16:57:39Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > For some reason, I read “long” in the thread title to have the sense of time rather than length. It was very confusing. 🙂 Reminds me of the old joke about the guy who went to the lumberyard. He says “I need 120 2x4s” Lumberyard guy asks “How long do you want them?” “Oh, pretty long, I’m building a house” ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/14 "2017-07-12T17:10:08Z")
> [@Tom\_Terrific](#): > > she won’t have time for much hair styling. This is the only thing that should concern you. I ain’t a woman, and I sure ain’t no marine. But I was a soldier once—And in basic training, 30 seconds is a long,long,looooong time. If she has to spend 60 seconds or even a full one and a half minutes taking care of her hair…that’s not gonna be fun. You don’t want to be the one who gets your whole platoon punished because you were late lining up for inspection. And during training, when you have to put on your helmet/goggles/gas mask, etc…you don’t want waste 30 seconds moving your hair out of the way. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/15 "2017-07-12T23:29:24Z")
Let me assume that your daughter is like most females and that want she wants her hair to be “attractive”. And that if her hair is cut too short, this will not be the case. Boot camp is going to be be HELL². She will have absolutely no time to do anything with her hair. It has to be cut short enough that one quick brush through after she gets up is all that is required to look presentable. The men she is training with and her superior officers will not cut her any slack at all if she needs time to “fix” her hair. Much of her training is going to cause her to be a sweaty and dirty. Hair caked in mud is no fun. Hair grows back. She’s not getting nose job. After boot camp she can let her hair grow out. She doesn’t need to get a male Marine cut, but right now she does need to get it cut as short as she can possibly stand. And believe me, half way through boot camp she be saying, “I sure am glad I got my hair cut short”. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/16 "2017-07-12T23:41:40Z")
Here’s three hair no no’s. [https://www.google.com/search?q=women+soldier+hair&oq=women+soldier+hair&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.10490j0j4&client=ms-android-motorola&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=fFCUC8yzbhlL8M:](https://www.google.com/search?q=women+soldier+hair&oq=women+soldier+hair&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.10490j0j4&client=ms-android-motorola&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=fFCUC8yzbhlL8M:) Bangs below eyebrows Hair length difference Scrunchie color Tutorial on the military donut bun. I’d suggest being able to do this very quickly. Time is a big deal in boot camp. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/C6AvIStmGVo/maxresdefault.jpg "Military Donut Bun Tutorial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6AvIStmGVo) ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/17 "2017-07-13T00:49:17Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Let me assume that your daughter is like most females and that want she wants her hair to be “attractive”. And that if her hair is cut too short, this will not be the case. > > Boot camp is going to be be HELL². She will have absolutely no time to do anything with her hair. It has to be cut short enough that one quick brush through after she gets up is all that is required to look presentable. The men she is training with and her superior officers will not cut her any slack at all if she needs time to “fix” her hair. > > Much of her training is going to cause her to be a sweaty and dirty. Hair caked in mud is no fun. > > Hair grows back. She’s not getting nose job. After boot camp she can let her hair grow out. She doesn’t need to get a male Marine cut, but right now she does need to get it cut as short as she can possibly stand. And believe me, half way through boot camp she be saying, “I sure am glad I got my hair cut short”. No worries with this. My daughter is attractive, but could care less about making herself pretty. She’s more of a tomboy, hence the Maines. She’ll be going to boot camp, then they’re sending her to college, followed by her for years. She wants to be an officer and make a career out of it. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/18 "2017-07-13T01:15:29Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > Also I’ve been told that you don’t want your hair too short or you can’t tie it up properly. That is one detail that we dudes may overlook, there’s a length of hair that you cannot “put up” very efficiently but still is too long to just let loose. The Marine regs recognize three standards for women’s hair. From the[Marine Corps regs](http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCO%20P1020.34G%20W%20CH%201-5.pdf?ver=2012-10-11-163726-053), boldface added by me at spots: > [@](#): > > Ch 5 b. Female Grooming Regulations. Women will be well groomed at all times and will abide by the following: > > (1) Hair Regulations. The requirement for hair regulations is to maintain uniformity within a military population. Women’s hairstyles require non-eccentric and non-faddish styles, maintaining a conservative, professional appearance. > For the purpose of these regulations, women’s hairstyles will be organized into three basic categories; short length, medium length and long hair. > > (a) Hair Length (see Figure 1-3). > \_\_1. Short Hair Length. **Short hair is defined as hair length that extends no more than 1 inch from the scalp (excluding bangs)**. Hair may be **no shorter than 1/4 inch** from the scalp, but may be evenly graduated to within 2 inches of the hair line. Bangs, if worn, may not fall into the line of sight, may not interfere with the wear of all headgear, and when worn with headgear must lie neatly against the head. The width of the bangs may extend to the hairline at the temple. > \_\_2. Medium Hair Length. Medium hair is defined as hair that **does not extend beyond the collar’s lower edge (in all uniforms), and extends more than 1 inch from the scalp. Medium hair may fall naturally in uniform and is not required to be secured.** When worn loose, graduated hair styles are acceptable, but the length, from the front to the back, may not exceed one inch difference in length, from the front to the back (see Figure 1-3). > The regulations for the wear of bangs detailed above are relevant. No portion of the bulk of the hair as measured from the scalp will exceed > approximately 2 inches (see Figure 1-3). > \_\_3. Long Hair. **Long hair is defined as hair that extends beyond the collar’s lower edge.** Long hair will be neatly and inconspicuously fastened or pinned, except that bangs may be worn. The regulations for the wear of bangs detailed above are relevant. No portion of the bulk of the hair, as measured from the scalp, will exceed approximately 2 inches (except a bun, which may extend a maximum of 3 inches from the scalp) and no wider than the width of the head. > > (b) Hairstyles. Faddish and exaggerated styles to include shaved portions of the scalp other than the neckline, designs cut in the hair, unsecured ponytails (except during physical training), and unbalanced or lopsided hairstyles are prohibited. **Hair will be styled so as not to interfere with the proper wear of all uniform headgear. All headgear will fit snugly and comfortably around the largest part of the head without > distortion or excessive gaps. When headgear is worn, hair should not protrude at distinct angles from under the edges.** Hairstyles, which do not allow the headgear to be worn in this manner, are prohibited. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/19 "2017-07-13T01:41:25Z")
Lost edit window: along with the “not interfere with headgear” requirement it should also go without saying that it not intefere with safety or operational equipment. Male or female you don’t want to accidentally get scalped when your hair gets caught in some piece of machinery and you should be able to easily put on and take off the gas mask, goggles, or a mic headset, or unsling a weapon from over your shoulder. It seems from the Google hits that they have recently made some changes to allow some more forms of hairstyles to come under the “not faddish or exaggerated” appearance requirements but the length and bulk tiers are still there. Basically for both men and women the hair regs are generally meant to (a) allow for use of the headgear and the equipment that may go on or around the head, (b) NOT call attention to yourself disrupting the uniformity of, well, being in uniform, (c) be low maintenance in the field. Dudes got it simplified in that they just get buzzed at Basic no matter what (because who’s gonna want to be the one who whined) and many decide to keep the close buzz or a high-n-tight for convenience especially if they are combat arms or some other branch that spends a lot of time out getting dirty (BTW the zero-guard-clipper buzz also provides excellent plausible deniability to senior personel when balding begins 😉 You are not losing your hair, you I just like the badass warrior look… right) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062/20 "2017-07-14T17:04:56Z")
USMC regs always apply, but I’m betting that in boot camp all the WM recruits have their hair cut. In the fleet, after graduating boot camp, you can wear your hair up, but in boot camp I’m pretty sure it’ll get cut short. One big thing about entering boot camp is uniformity, and stripping you of your individual identity. Losing your hair, for us guys, was one quick and sure way to do that. You are no longer Bullitt, former civilian. You are Private Bullitt, or Recruit Bullitt, US Marine Recruit. I went to MCRD San Diego CA. All WMs go to Parris Island in SC, so I never saw a WM recruit. But that’s my best guess. Semper Fidelis, obbn, and thank you and your family and your daughter for your support and service. Gunny Bullitt [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marine-boot-camp-how-long-can-females-wear-their-hair/791062.md?page=2)