New Dress Regs 🤣

[btrudy]

We're in the military, is that honestly a serious question? You'd find nothing unprofessional about someone dying their hair like an actual rainbow clown wig? Or hot pink with neon green streaks?

Honestly, no. I don't have any problems whatsoever with actual rainbow hair colours.




LIterally nothing wrong with these.

 

[PuckChaser]

This is a classic CAF over correction, and it's a shame you can't see it. Our credibility as a military force is directly related to how we look. If you show up with garbage kit, a ZZ top beard and pink hair; you better believe you're not going to be taken seriously. There is absolutely nothing wrong with men having collar-length, natural coloured hair and a beard of a few inches in length.

Like it or not, worldwide military dress and deportment policies are conservative in nature. Even the Nordic countries that allow long hair and beards don't have multi-colour mops of unkept hair.

We are not going to get a recruiting boom, we are not going to get a retention boom, and if you look around outside there's not a whole heck of a lot of people with unnatural hair colouring. We're changing for the absolute smallest of minorities, and it will do absolutely nothing for "inclusion" in the CAF.

 

[QV]

Honestly, no. I don't have any problems whatsoever with actual rainbow hair colours.

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LIterally nothing wrong with these.

I don't know… “why things are seen“ comes to mind. But you do you.

 

[btrudy]

I don't know… “why things are seen“ comes to mind. But you do you.

Hence the ability to order that brightly coloured hair can be covered up in situations where being seen is a bad thing.

I mean, hell, the same could probably be said of people who just have blonde hair.

 

[Quirky]

LIterally nothing wrong with these.

Some mental health issues are hidden, some are not.

 

[FSTO]

I want my 8 button jacket. I heard that is a human right now.

 

[btrudy]

Some mental health issues are hidden, some are not.

Suffice it to say that I do not feel there is any evidence to back up your implied assertion that simply wanting hair that isn't boring is directly tied to mental illness. People can make choices that you wouldn't make without being literally crazy.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

This is a classic CAF over correction, and it's a shame you can't see it. Our credibility as a military force is directly related to how we look. If you show up with garbage kit, a ZZ top beard and pink hair; you better believe you're not going to be taken seriously. There is absolutely nothing wrong with men having collar-length, natural coloured hair and a beard of a few inches in length.

Like it or not, worldwide military dress and deportment policies are conservative in nature. Even the Nordic countries that allow long hair and beards don't have multi-colour mops of unkept hair.

We are not going to get a recruiting boom, we are not going to get a retention boom, and if you look around outside there's not a whole heck of a lot of people with unnatural hair colouring. We're changing for the absolute smallest of minorities, and it will do absolutely nothing for "inclusion" in the CAF.

Like I said, can't wait to see this in action

 

[Halifax Tar]

People keep talking about our credibility.

I have a couple uneducated points WRT this:

1) You know what builds credibility ? Capability. Want us to be credible ? Have capability to bring to the battle space. That will speak louder than finger nail maintenance.

2) We (The West) are continually, soundly beaten and sent packing by disorganized mish-mash forces in man jammies with what ever weapons they can scrape up. They don't seem to fret much on hair color or if pants or skirts should be worn by who ever.

Anyways, I imagine this will be a bridge too far for some, and that's fair; unlike others I think this is a big change. And its firmly leaving behind a period of our history and probably culture. If its too much and you chose not to continue I would like to thank you for stepping forward and being accounted for while you were in. I'm sure you served with pride and I wish you the best in the future.

 

[Jarnhamar]

simply wanting hair that isn't boring

This is microagression against people with natural coloured hair who don't want to dye it.

 

[Jarnhamar]

We're changing for the absolute smallest of minorities, and it will do absolutely nothing for "inclusion" in the CAF.

Are we changing because CAF leadership thought this up or are we changing because the government said change.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

Are we changing because CAF leadership thought this up or are we changing because the government said change.

It was actually the Defence Women's Advisory Counsel that staffed up the Briefing Note. It got traction all the way up through CMP and eventually landed at the CDS, was discussed at length at AFC, and was finally approved and will be implemented in September.

This is an internal want that was staffed, actioned and approved entirely by the CAF.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Are we changing because CAF leadership thought this up or are we changing because the government said change.

I look at it more like a modernization. Our D&D regulations and policy was/is wildly out of date and in dire need of modernization.

Now I hope to see National policies on dress set in bedrock and thus remove any and all ambiguity and ability by local commanders to play fast and loose and put their own spin on things, because change is scary for them.

 

[btrudy]

Are we changing because CAF leadership thought this up or are we changing because the government said change.

Neither. It's a bottom up initiative. The DWAO drafted a briefing note, sent it up the chain, the chain eventually said "Yeah, sounds good, let's do it.".

Edit: Oops; missed the next message

I look at it more like a modernization. Our D&D regulations and policy was/is wildly out of date and in dire need of modernization.

Now I hope to see National policies on dress set in bedrock and thus remove any and all ambiguity and ability by local commanders to play fast and loose and put their own spin on things, because change is scary for them.

I strongly suggest that the personal appearance aspects at least will have a strong "bone fide operational reasons only" wording attached to any restrictions.

But with regards to actual uniforms, yes it would also be very ideal to, for example, eliminate any chance of toque-glove flow-chart bullshittery from CoCs.

 

[Halifax Tar]

But with regards to actual uniforms, yes it would also be very ideal to, for example, eliminate any chance of toque-glove flow-chart bullshittery from CoCs.

Ya, that's what I was getting at, not the operational influences that may be necessary. I've been at this for 22 or 23 years now, and I still shake my head that we issue national policy and then leave a loop hole for someone with a bone to pick to go their own way.

 

[KevinB]

 

[KevinB]

I look at it more like a modernization. Our D&D regulations and policy was/is wildly out of date and in dire need of modernization.

Now I hope to see National policies on dress set in bedrock and thus remove any and all ambiguity and ability by local commanders to play fast and loose and put their own spin on things, because change is scary for them.

Honestly the CAF would have been better off years ago if it simply mandated Mens’s haircuts and uniforms for anyone in a field unit.

Short hair came about from lice in the trenches.
I was busy growing a bad ass Navy Sealtm
Beard, when I got sprayed by shit, piss and whatever else was in that Afghan ditch- it must also have had some diesel in it - but I couldn’t clean out that beard for love nor money - and as a result shaved it off.

I’m about the least uniform guy in the world - but I think for at least basic training and entry level occupation courses that uniformity teaches something - both attention to detail and conformity to the group that the whole is more important than the self.

I view most of these changes in the CAF as a bad joke.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Honestly the CAF would have been better off years ago if it simply mandated Mens’s haircuts and uniforms for anyone in a field unit.

Short hair came about from lice in the trenches.
I was busy growing a bad ass Navy Sealtm
Beard, when I got sprayed by shit, piss and whatever else was in that Afghan ditch- it must also have had some diesel in it - but I couldn’t clean out that beard for love nor money - and as a result shaved it off.

I’m about the least uniform guy in the world - but I think for at least basic training and entry level occupation courses that uniformity teaches something - both attention to detail and conformity to the group that the whole is more important than the self.

I view most of these changes in the CAF as a bad joke.

I see your point. And its valid. Personally, I think most folks will find the practicality of a lot of these changes, while employed in an operational environment, will be more more squeeze than juice and simply revert to a simple and basic grooming standard.

 

[Jarnhamar]

It was actually the Defence Women's Advisory Counsel that staffed up the Briefing Note. It got traction all the way up through CMP and eventually landed at the CDS, was discussed at length at AFC, and was finally approved and will be implemented in September.

This is an internal want that was staffed, actioned and approved entirely by the CAF.

I'm surprised but that's great.

 

[rmc_wannabe]

I see your point. And its valid. Personally, I think most folks will find the practicality of a lot of these changes, while employed in an operational environment, will be more more squeeze than juice and simply revert to a simply basic grooming standard.

I agree totally with this belief. I also think that if Bloggins is riding a desk for most of their career in Ottawa, their concerns about operational environments is far lower than someone crashing through the bush for months on end in a Battalion.

I have been on Category for 7 years for shaving (like a legitimate one. I developed eczema overseas from using dirty water). I can amd do maintain my beard to the standards set in the CFDI. When I deploy, if the threat exists operationally, I will shave it off. It's a practical reason for me to need to do it. Me needing to shave every day because "but what if..." or "I'm the SSM and I say no beard!" is ridiculous.

The same will end up happening with this. Those that have a desire or need to modify their appearance will have the avenue to. Safety and operational performance will always be maintained above personal "wants" (they aren't rights in this case).

As I have said earlier, wait until the first ship sails or the first Bde Ex. What's cool in Garrison is a pain in the ass when you're short on water or that combat scarf gets annoying 24/7.

Just because the door is open doesn't mean everyone is going to walk through it. I certainly won't be, but I won't harp on people who do.