The World of Wigs: Military Reservists and Their Wearing of Short Hair Wigs

Abstract

The wearing of wigs by military reservists as a method of conforming with the respective grooming and haircut standards set by the various Armed Services has burgeoned into a panoply of litigation in the past few years. The position of the Armed Forces in this matter has been basically one of opposing the use of short hair wigs to meet haircut standards, while the arguments of the reservists have centered on their quasi-military status and the fact that by the use of hairpieces they are outwardly conforming to the hair regulations and policies. This article will deal with several facets of the controversy including when a reservist can safely wear a wig, what written and unwritten regulations the military has used to attempt to thwart this method of compliance, the development of the pertinent cases, the prospects for future litigation and a suggested solution to the problem.The wig controversy has thus far centered primarily on the wearing of wigs during the reservist's weekend drills. The only other contact of reservists with active duty occurs during the reservist's summer training duty. This usually lasts approximately two to four weeks a year. The cases have, for the most part, upheld the right of reservists to wear wigs during their weekend forays into the military sphere while at least one case has hinted that wigs can be legally banned for the longer active duty for training periods.