The Air Force's top enlisted leader wants to 'take away the stigma' of beard waivers

Airmen who have to remove their facial hair while wearing uniforms can rest assured that Chief Master Sergeant, the top enlisted pilot, is available for assistance. JoAnne Bass, Air Force JoAnne, is trying to decrease the branch's cultural bias towards shaving waivers given for religious or medical reasons. Bass posted a comment on her Facebook page Tuesday stating that she is working to remove the stigma associated with airmen who have a religious or medical reason for shaving their facial hair.
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The comment was also shared on Air Force amn/nco/snco's Facebook page. It was in response to a photo she had taken of herself with Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, and Airman 1st class Kyle Voss McReynolds. Voss-McReynolds was also the driver for the leadership team at a recent event. He also wears a beard while in uniform. The 332d Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron trains on counter drone tactics against small Unmanned Aerial Systems, (sUAS), at an undisclosed place in Southwest Asia, September 6, 2022
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Jeffery Foster/U.S
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Air Force. The July 2021 study found that more Black men apply for medical shaving waivers than White men. This is because they are more susceptible to pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), which is commonly known as razor bumps. PFB, a skin condition that can make shaving painful and cause permanent scarring if it isn't allowed to heal properly, is why many people apply for a shaving waiver. Even though they were following regulations, waiver-holders felt stigmatized because they wore facial hair.
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According to the 2021 study, airmen who had shaved their heads were more likely to be denied promotions. They also faced longer wait times and were less likely to get promoted. A common view of facial hair is that they make uniforms look unprofessional. "I was the typical senior leader chief who didn't believe airmen with shaving waivers belonged in the office," said retired Chief Master Sergeant Kaleth Wright. Kaleth Wright of the Air Force said during a panel discussion about male grooming standards within the Air Force in April.
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Wright stated that he opposed facial hair in the Air Force during 29 of his 32-year service. He stated that he had the opportunity to hire many people and was determined not to hire someone with a shaving waiver because it was against Air Force policy. Airman 1st class Braxton Comer is a student service technician at the Community College of the Air Force who practices Norse Paganism. He poses for a photograph in the CCAF building, Maxwell-Gunter Annex (Alabama), July 27, 2021. Comer applied for a waiver of religious accommodation to allow him to wear a beard in order to express his religious beliefs. He was approved in June 2021.
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Wright, a Black member of the Air Force, stated that he had cured his own irritation with shaving by learning how to do it in a way that wouldn't irritate his skin. He assumed other airmen would find the same solution. He said, "I was willfully ignorant of the effect it was having on young Blackmen."
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"Some of it was because it was something I ignored, but some was because it was important for these young men to do the same thing I did: Just suck it up, figure it out, and you'll be okay. Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. Receive the most recent military news, entertainment, gear, and other information in your email every day. Wright only met other enlisted airmen after becoming the top airman. Without suffering immense pain and skin damage, it was impossible to keep clean.
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Wright was convinced by these encounters and studies like the one published last summer to change his mind. The challenge is convincing the Air Force to do the same. Wright stated that changing policy is the easiest part.
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"The real challenge is how do you change culture, not only in the Air Force, but throughout the service period. Chief Bass's comment shows her commitment to changing culture. There seems to have been some progress. Military.com reported in December that the Air Force Honor Guard had changed its April policy to allow Air Force airmen who have waived their right to shave to apply for the Guard. According to Military.com, Honor Guard airmen have now been granted a pass to trim their beards neatly.
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The Honor Guard is not yet fully accepting shaving waivers. Military.com reported that Airmen with waivers may have beards during Air Force ceremonies and duties but not in joint honor guards with other branches. Air Force amn/nco/snco posted images in August that teased a pilot program to promote inclusive male grooming standards. This would allow service personnel to have neatly-kept facial hairs up to a quarter inch long, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
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Coffee or Die Magazine reported that more slides were leaked in October, promising that an updated facial hair standard would soon be discussed at the November meeting of Air Force Uniform Board. According to a service spokesperson, any recommendations from the board would need to be approved by senior Air Force leadership. U.S. Air Force Airmen and the Moody Air Force Base Honor Guard presented colors at the 81st Deactivation Ceremony at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, Dec
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(Airman 1st class Whitney Gillespie/U.S. Air Force
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Bass stated in a statement to Task & Purpose that the Air Force was committed to removing barriers that prevent airmen applying for and being accepted into career-expanding opportunities. "At the end, while we are constantly in the forefront of initiatives that allow our airmen to reach their full potential, it is important to remember that we are part a larger military force. This last sentence shows that Air Force senior leadership is keen to work with other services in major changes to facial hair policy. Social media has seen many airmen calling for the end of the ban on beards.
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Sometimes, the services claim that facial hair can interfere with gas mask seals. However, an Air Force doctor found no scientific evidence that supports that claim. "It's an unsubstantiated claims," dermatologist Lt. Col said.
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Simon Ritchie spoke to Task & Purpose May. Although Air Force supporters may have some evidence that one to five people fail the fit test, Ritchie said that this cannot be applied to hundreds of thousands. Ritchie stated that NATO allies that allow service members to grow facial hair have not conducted studies on the effects of gas masks on their faces. A 2018 civilian study showed that 98% of participants who had a beard of eight inches passed the fit test using respirators similar to those used by the military.
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Ritchie demanded a study to find a definitive answer. He stated that the study would only require 100-150 service members. He stated that while we don't need to hire RAND and Booz Allen Hamilton for the study, the Air Force must want it to occur.
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