Mohawks

Everyone Uniform and Drill
1

Hi all -
I’m in a bit of a pinch. One of my cadets has just had their hair cut - into quite an impressive mohawk.
They’ve messaged me and one of the other uniform NCOs about it privately to see:

  1. If it’s allowed under the dress regs ( to the best of my knowledge, it is not )

and

  1. To ask what will happen to them if it’s not.

Given that they’re willing to plait it back / flatten / hide it and fit under their beret, I personally don’t see a problem with it. Short of going to OC Wg / WExO in order to arbitrate, I’d appreciate any advice on how to go about answering either of the questions :slight_smile:

2

@AlexCorbin

… don flash hoods and brace for impact.

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3

Speak to your WWO :slightly_smiling_face:

But generally I’ve always said if it fits under a beret then it’s okay :man_shrugging:

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4

If you say hair cuts three times, an @AlexCorbin will appear

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5

I will respond… When ive worked out how to word my answer.

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6

Right.

If it was me.

AP1358C is very clear - “Extreme styles of haircuts and colouring are not permitted.”

Therefore id provide somewords of advice and kindly inform they are not to attend in uniform until its grown back. Which means no off Sqn activities. Imagine the scenes if a SWO saw it

Its then their choice.

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7

Define extreme

8

The problem with “hiding it under a beret” is that the approach fails the very moment the person steps into a building and takes their beret off.
Given that the vast majority of cadet time is spent indoors without a beret on, it’s not really “hidden”.
Unless you’re on one of these weird squadrons who wear headgear indoors the whole time. :stuck_out_tongue:

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9

“Not usual, exceptional” is what the dictionary says, I would suggest a Mohawk falls into this catergory.

10

But wlare we talking really tall and spiky, or 101st airborne on eve of D-Day?

11

I would suggest that both are extreme enough as to be non-uniform

12

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This’ll be the scene come next parade night between the SWO and Cadet.

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13

How wide is the strip and how shaved or blended are the sides?

There are plenty of contemporary examples that aren’t a full punk shave and have precise and smooth blending into a wider top - which looks far less extreme or unusual when worn “down”.

Regardless, @Huxley, WWO is the route to go for advice via your sqn CFAV.

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14

Many thanks all! I’ll pass it on, and send for my WWO. The haircut isn’t what I’d consider “extreme” in the full: not spiked or coloured, and a fairly wide strip, but definitely recognisable as a mohawk at a glance.
I’ll see what the OC thinks when the cadet’s back on squadron, and sit back and watch the fireworks…

15

If it’s not stand up spikey, it’s not a mohawk. If your OC or SWO get excited they must be youngsters.

As someone who went through the 70s and 80s there is nothing extreme in hairstyles anymore.

Is it not ironic that in this day and age when long hair and beards are allowed, we still get excited about hair. Who cares, really? People only get excited because someone has written something saying you should, not that it actually matters.

When I was a cadet and later as staff we went through all manner of fashions. Punk was interesting with a couple of my mates who went short spikey and coloured which raised a few eyebrows and others who went skinhead, which wasn’t regarded as comment worthy, even when in skin tight jeans and high leg DMs etc in ‘civvies’. Then mullets in the 80s and a bit later 'bangs, which spilled out when berets removed. We had one on the sqn and a couple around the local sqns who went for the teddy boy revival, which got the SWO reminiscing about his youth. They looked quite impressive in drapes, drainpipes and brothel creepers.

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