Pentagon’s One-Year Beard Exemption: Critics Accuse Policy of Racism
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has mandated that any service member requiring a shaving exemption for over a year must be discharged, requiring a medical treatment plan for all such exemptions. This updated policy, communicated in an August 20 memo, applies across all branches of the military, and is intended to uphold grooming standards. The move comes after years of relaxed appearance rules, with the majority of shaving waivers granted for those with pseudofolliculitis barbae, a condition common among Black men. While the memo doesn’t address treatment costs or treatment plans, it does maintain that the grooming standard is to be clean shaven.
John Q. Hosedrinker