Master Sergeant Quintana Mitchell has been in the Army for nearly 23 years.
“This is a huge win for women throughout the Army,” she says.
“I have younger sisters [who were] contemplating joining the military; one of them haslocs.
Major Lacresha Snow
She always thought that would hinder her from joining, and I said, ‘Not anymore.'”
Chapter three, which outlines grooming policies, got an overhaul last year.
Female soldiers are now allowed to wear earrings,natural shades of lipstickandgloss, andnail polish.
Major General Telita Crosland
The most liberating changes, however, are related to hair.
Women are no longer limited to wearingtight buns, and restrictions on minimum hair length are gone.
“The whole time that I was active duty in the Army eight years my hair was relaxed.
Master Sergeant Quintana Mitchell
I putchemicals in itbecause you want to blend in as much as possible,” says Major LaCresha Snow.
She also serves as an Equity and Inclusion Programs manager.
“Today my hair is natural.
Istopped relaxing itas soon as I got out of the Army.”
No rubber bands,no clips, no barrettes."
Her ultimate solution was to slip a couple ofat-home relaxerkits into her bag.
After I did the braids, I went natural.
I just have more options.
I don’t spend money going to the hairdresser as much.
In a year, I have saved significant money."
But it’s possible for you to’t put a price on the impact of the new guidelines.
“They make [people] feel included,” says Crosland.
Three years earlier, the Army had instituted a ban on largecornrowsand all locs.
I didnt feel accepted.
[Now] I can show up to the workplace as myself.
It’s given me an extra boost of confidence.
[Even] in uniform, my Liberian heritage is celebrated through my hair.
Braiding has been a part of our family since I was a little girl."
“Military Natural Hairhas over 8,000 members from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces,” she says.
“The group provides tips, product recommendations, and shares stories and experiences.”
She triedbraidsseveral times over the years, but was always taken aside by senior officers.
With the latest updates in place, Martin enjoys watching soldiers enjoy a new kind of community.
“I walk around and see women smile when we look at each other’s earrings.
And we’re able to wear ponytails now,” she says.
“What most women do with the ponytail is they braid it.
We call that ‘the Battle Braid,’ and we smile when we [see it].
[The new regulations] make women feel like we are being seen.”
Many soldiers know the pain of a tight-bun-induced headache.
“I’ve hadbreakageandhair lossfrom pulling it back,” she says.
“Now I wear it down more because it gives it a break.”
“Before, I felt like I was wearing a mask.
Now, my Liberian heritage is celebrated through my hair.”
“I can’t imagine going to a doctor and they say, ‘You have traction alopecia.
“It’s being handcuffed to a style that may be affecting your health.”
“I was diagnosed withlupus, and that comes with a lot of hair shedding.
It was always stressful trying to put my hair up,” she says.
Now I can.”
The effects of serving withtextured hairmay linger for years after a soldier leaves life in uniform.
Retired sergeant Latoya Morrison-Maldonado joined the Army in 2002, at 18, and stayed for 11 years.
Getting a relaxer when she entered the military didn’t make things easier, as she had hoped.
“I have a lot of hair, so it was very difficult to maintain.
I lost a lot of it,” Morrison-Maldonado says.
She also lost money.
“One time I had braids and the [fake hair] was brown and my hair was black.
It was confusing because I saw other women withhighlightsand multiplecolors in their hair.
I was under 21 and I didn’t understand.”
“Now I wear my hair all kinds of ways.”
For all those years, I made sure my hair was straight.
I put it in the bun.
There was a fear of being unapologetically who I am naturally."
I pull it back.
I keep saying Im gonna change that, but I cant not yet."
We owe it to them to get into the 21st century."
“We don’t see any loss of readiness or degradation to our performance,” says Martin.
Grooming: Brian Oliver.
Production: Barrie Creative.
Location: the Pentagon.
More on natural hairstyles:
Now, watch A Brown Girl’s Guide to Treating Acne:
