Why do you get a buzz cut when you join the military?

There are several reasons. One main reason is lice. In the army one wares helmets. They bother the head less with short hair.

It promotes equality. Our hair is a symbol of sexuality and individuality. The removal of it means that they’re more equal. Psychology has shown that it makes soldiers more likely to respond to being in a team.

They don’t make you shave it after basic. After you leave basic, you’re able to have any number of hair cuts from high and tights to flat-tops. Regulation for hair, as of today, is that it be kept neat in appearance anywhere from 0-3 inches in length.

Everyone gets the “induction cut” when they enter the military, though. It makes everyone look equal and uniform. It’s also a way of breaking one’s sense of self in order to create people with a soldier’s mentality. You’d be surprised how attached people can be to something as simple as hair.

Short hair in the military started a long time ago as a means to avoiding having your hair pulled and used to the enemies advantage when fighting hand-to-hand. It also serves a more practical reason: hygiene.