The U.S. Navy has finally stepped into 2018 and lifted its ban on female sailors wearing locs. Following in the footsteps of the Army and Airforce the naval branch announced last week that via a Facebook Live this step to true inclusivity.
Using feedback from its peers, the Navy enlisted the help of a six-person team to help make updates to it’s existing grooming regulations. In addition to locs ponytails, buns and other styles will now be permissible by women in uniform, so long as it doesn’t interfere with their safety or operational needs.
As one can imagine men and women of color will be greatly impacted by these new rules. Locs are also a popular protective style for Black women with a long history and culture and until last week many women were forced to choose between their hairstyle and service. Black women still feel an enormous amount of pressure to conform in corporate settings when it comes to their hair, and we hope this starts to alleviate some small portion of that.