During a Pentagon briefing held Wednesday it was revealed that U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has called for a military wide review of hair rules and regulations.
The decision comes after widespread criticism and speculation about whether or not the rules are fair, especially in regards to black women and specifically towards those with natural hair reports New York Magazine.
The policies, which ban all dreadlocks, twists, and cornrows based on their size not only garnered national media attention and in-depth opinion pieces but over 6,000 signatures on a White House petition and a complaint from the Congressional Black Caucus.
In response to the CBC complaint, Hagel has requested a review of the policies for the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines saying, “Within the next 30 days, each service will review the definitions of authorized and prohibited hairstyles contained in each of their respective policies and revise any offensive language.”
Hagel went on to address what many believe to be the real issue, “each service will review their hairstyle policies as they pertain to African American women to ensure the standards are fair and respectful…”