How The Army Ostracized Me For My Own Hair: Bigoted or Brainwashed? — Some Think 'Natural' African American Hair is 'Militant' or 'Unkempt'

Left: Kristie Mitchell today. Right: Kristie’s natural locs during her time in the Army.

(Photo by Kristie Mitchell)

By Kristie Mitchell, MD
The Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia covers every aspect of soldiers’ grooming and appearance — from fingernail length to tattoos. Last month, the Army proposed updates to this regulation that scrutinize African American female hairstyles more than ever before. Previously AR 670-1 only briefly commented on uniquely African American hair styles. It banned “dreadlocks” for being “unkempt, twisted, matted…hair”. While cornrows were authorized as long as “conservative”.

Now, greater numbers of African American women are allowing their hair to remain natural, and the proposed regulation microanalyzes these hair styles (braids, twists, cornrows, and locs) and effectively eliminates many of the natural styles African American service women have been wearing for years.

I am an African American woman, a Psychiatrist, and a former US Army Major, and I am dismayed by this.

When I read the regulation and endured words like “unkempt” and “matted” used to define my natural hair, I was reminded of the pain and humiliation I, too, endured five years ago before I voluntarily departed the Army. Since then I’ve enjoyed the simple dignity of wearing my natural hair to work in a neat and professional manner...

In the midst of [the Iraq] war, while I was doctoring in a combat zone, a lower ranking soldier identified my locs as “dreadlocked” and therefore, by Army definition “unkempt and matted” hair. He notified my supervisor who gave me an official (though somewhat apologetic) reprimand for not meeting hygiene standards. The bitter irony was not only did my hair fit all the required professionalism standards, but it was very easy to keep clean and neat.

After the reprimand, I made one futile attempt to hide my locs by covering them with a wig (an authorized option). But this was too distracting, and with temperatures soaring to 140 degrees daily, one could imagine that option did not last long. So I conceded. I cut off my locs. I returned to the neutral state where no natural hair was acceptable natural hair. But the peace was uneasy, to say the least.


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