Dress Right, Dress: When Uniformity Cuts Too Deep

If you’ve never heard of PFB, it’s a painful condition caused by shaving — and it disproportionately affects Black men in uniform.

Wearing the uniform is a symbol of strength. Sacrifice. Honor. I believe that. But I also believe we’re getting it wrong.”

So I’m wondering if the Marine Corps has forgotten the difference between sacrifice and nonsense.

Last week, new guidance was issued allowing Marines with a medical condition called pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB)—a painful, scarring skin condition triggered by shaving—to be administratively separated if they remain on a shaving waiver for more than a year.

Let’s talk about standards.

The uniform matters. Order matters. Discipline matters. These are not abstract ideals—they’re the backbone of readiness. I believe in that. Deeply. I believe in dress codes. I believe that how one carries themselves—right down to the polish on their boots and the alignment of their ribbons—reflects something greater than appearance. It reflects unity. Intentionality. Pride.

But come on.

This is the hill we’re choosing to die on? Facial hair?

In a force facing historic recruiting challenges, retention issues, and rising mental health concerns, the Marine Corps has decided that the real threat to discipline is… a medical beard?

Let’s look at who this really affects.

According to a 2022 DoD demographic report, roughly 20% of the Corps is Black, and over 90% is male. That means about one in five Marines is a Black man—and NIH research shows that up to 83% of Black men experience PFB. That puts an estimated 15% of the entire Marine Corps at risk under this policy. And when you include white and Hispanic men, who may also develop PFB, the number jumps to 30% of male Marines potentially affected.

Yet religious beards are protected. As they should be—because our Constitution demands it. But now we’re at the point where a beard grown out of religious devotion is fine… and a beard grown because shaving causes injury is a disqualifier?

Really?

If you grow a beard because your God says so—you’re good.
If you grow a beard because your skin breaks down when you don’t—you’re a problem?

That’s not a return to order. That’s not discipline. That’s bureaucracy picking a fight with biology.

Meanwhile, over in the Air Force, up to 24% of the force may be genetically predisposed to PFB. And yet, they’re not walking around in chaos. They’re managing it—quietly, respectfully, with standards intact.

So what’s going on in the Corps?

Is this about image? Control? Fear of looking “soft”?

The Marine Corps has a long history of being the hardest, the sharpest, the most unbending. It wears that rigidity with pride. But when rigidity starts overriding reason—when policy is written in a way that disproportionately affects Black Marines with medical conditions—that’s not discipline. That’s a problem.

And here’s my deeper frustration: we have bigger problems.

According to the DoD’s FY 2023 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military, the Marine Corps continues to report the highest rates of sexual assault among the services. The Department’s 2023 Annual Report on Suicide in the Military shows the Corps once again leading in active-duty suicide rates.

Morale is fragile. Families are burned out. Retention is suffering. The military is bleeding from real wounds—and instead of triaging the damage, we’re busy counting whiskers.

“We want them on that wall. We need them on that wall.”
Thank you, Alex.

But only if their skin can take a razor?

I’ve never worn the uniform. But I believe in the culture that comes with it. I believe in good order. I believe in sharp standards and squared-away Marines. I believe in leadership that holds the line—not policies that blur it.

I also believe in logic. And fairness. And treating those willing to serve with the dignity they’ve earned.

This policy won’t restore discipline. It’s selectively enforcing it. It’s confusing cosmetic conformity with combat effectiveness. And it sends a loud, clear message to some of the most loyal, capable Marines we have:

“You can serve—but your razor before your rifle.”

We’re not shaving Marines.
We’re shaving standards—
And pretending it’s leadership.

If this made you pause, share it.
We don’t fix what we refuse to question.