US military vs. beards: Why banning facial hair may be discriminatory

"In the age of streaming, television series no longer just entertain: they dictate conversations, shape esthetics, and sometimes even foreshadow headlines. Take Boots (Netflix, 2025), for example. The series follows two young men training at a U.S. Marine Corps recruit center in the 1990s. But what might seem like a nostalgic tale of discipline and military brotherhood becomes with almost imperceptible detail an X-ray of current dilemmas surrounding identity, body, and power."

"There, he gave a lengthy talk in which he asserted that the laxity that had led to fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon was over. Hegseth promised the return of the warrior esthetic, by which he meant visible discipline: a fit body, a clean-shaven face, and a presence that projects, according to the stereotype, strength and readiness for combat."

"In the first episode, an African American cadet faces a skin problem while adhering to regulations: he suffers from pseudofolliculitis, a skin irritation caused by shaving. His superior, also a Black man, offers him talcum powder in a gesture of camaraderie. The series premiered a few days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth banned troops from sporting beards. The era of unacceptable appearance is over, no more beardos, he declared in late September."

Boots (Netflix, 2025) portrays two young men at a U.S. Marine Corps recruit center in the 1990s and shows a Black cadet suffering pseudofolliculitis while complying with grooming regulations. His superior offers talcum powder as camaraderie. The series premiered days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth banned troops from sporting beards and declared 'no more beardos.' Hegseth framed the policy as a return to a warrior esthetic demanding a fit body, a clean-shaven face, and a presence that projects strength. Medical exemptions allow one year to resolve conditions or face discharge. Pseudofolliculitis stems from frequent shaving, especially in people with curly hair, causing inward hair growth, inflammation, and scarring. The grooming rule therefore risks disproportionate medical and career harm to Black servicemembers.

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