Prince Harry's Hair
Thursday, March 13, 2008 Filed in: People
When I enlisted in the army, one of the first things
to go from my civilian life was my hair. Gone in
60-seconds. But I'm not a prince.
Prince Harry is and he gets the royal treatment. Literally. Harry is the son to Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, and served with the Household Calvary of the British Army in Afghanistan for the past 10 weeks.
News reports show a smiling Harry-the-solider with a full mop of thick red hair, rosy red cheeks and a big smile. Mop of thick hair? More than thick. The Beatles of the 1960s had less hair than Harry.
Is there a difference between how the U.S. Army handles hair compared to the British? Yes. Apparently some latitude is given to British military commanders which is not afforded their U.S counterparts, hence Harry's mop of hairy hairy.
For all of the independence that the U.S. obtained from the British a few hundred years ago, the U.S. still has a few things to learn about individuality.
The U.S. military once allowed longer locks, closely cropped since the 1950s. The flattop is gone. The crew cut is gone. Both replaced by today's easier to manage and maintain 'buzz.'
Today's U.S. serviceman falls under rules that dictate not only hygiene, but hair grooming standards necessary to maintain uniformity within a military population.
My hair was once free and flowing as Prince Harry's. Today, it's a near-buzz, but for different reasons. Buzz is easier to maintain and there's less hair to maintain.
Prince Harry is and he gets the royal treatment. Literally. Harry is the son to Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, and served with the Household Calvary of the British Army in Afghanistan for the past 10 weeks.
News reports show a smiling Harry-the-solider with a full mop of thick red hair, rosy red cheeks and a big smile. Mop of thick hair? More than thick. The Beatles of the 1960s had less hair than Harry.
Is there a difference between how the U.S. Army handles hair compared to the British? Yes. Apparently some latitude is given to British military commanders which is not afforded their U.S counterparts, hence Harry's mop of hairy hairy.
For all of the independence that the U.S. obtained from the British a few hundred years ago, the U.S. still has a few things to learn about individuality.
The U.S. military once allowed longer locks, closely cropped since the 1950s. The flattop is gone. The crew cut is gone. Both replaced by today's easier to manage and maintain 'buzz.'
Today's U.S. serviceman falls under rules that dictate not only hygiene, but hair grooming standards necessary to maintain uniformity within a military population.
My hair was once free and flowing as Prince Harry's. Today, it's a near-buzz, but for different reasons. Buzz is easier to maintain and there's less hair to maintain.
