Posted on 09/06/2001 5:52:00 AM PDT by g'nad
Marine Corps Times
September 10, 2001
Pg. 10
Don’t Take Away Our Lipstick, Female Marines Protest
Uniform board heeds concerns, reverses its policy
By Gordon Lubold, Times Staff Writer
It smacked of sexism, female Marines said, and the Corps’ new lipstick policy had them seeing red.
But now female Marines again can apply lipstick while wearing the utility uniform, a victory owed to a massive e-mail thread that crisscrossed the Corps.
In the wake of the electronic outcry, the Marine Corps Uniform Board reversed a policy change that went into effect earlier this year.
The board published a clarification to the the loathed lipstick policy Aug. 29, saying it never meant to prohibit the wear of lipstick while in cammies. But little about the original message was unclear.
An April 27 Corpswide message, MarAdmin 199/01, detailed a number of uniform changes, including the statement, "If worn, nail polish and non-eccentric lipstick ... may be worn with the service, blue dress, blue-white dress and evening dress uniforms."
The message went on to state that "colored nail polish will not be worn with the utility uniform." Many women took that to mean they couldn’t wear lipstick while in cammies, either.
Slowly, women began to take notice of the policy change and launched an e-mail campaign denouncing it as sexist and demeaning.
If the Corps was willing to do away with nail polish and lipstick, many worried, what would be next?
The e-mail reportedly started with a female master sergeant in Washington, D.C., and made its way around the Corps, picking up steam along the way.
"It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen in the Marine Corps," said Capt. Daniel Dukes, secretary-recorder for the uniform board.
Female Marines "signed" the e-mail, which detailed the reasons for the women’s displeasure, and then forwarded it on to fellow Marines.
Uniform board officials agreed with their outcry and released a message reversing the policy.
Dukes said the board takes responsibility for the mix-up and hopes the fix puts the concerns to rest.
"We have to claim responsibility for that," he said.
Not all female Marines were angered by the policy change, however.
Cammies are for combat, not cosmetics, said Master Sgt. Rosemarie Weber, assistant executive officer for the Defense Department’s Military Personnel Policy section.
"If you don’t like that you can’t wear your lipstick in your cammies, then wear charlies," she said.
"I know that when a directive comes out, you don’t necessarily have to like it, but you do it," she said.
We still don't allow male Marines to pierce their ears, whereas other services let their guys wear them off-duty...
I always thought you were a Marine 24-7...
I'm tired of WMs trying their darndest not to look like a Marine... heavy make-up, long nails, eccentric haircuts that won't allow them to wear a cover properly. I've dressed down more than my share of misguided young ladies wearing a uniform, but most of my peers are afraid of being labeled as anti-female by a disgruntled female.
don't be gender specific. Maybe "man" is not what they are looking for.
I thought it was the swabbies who were 'like that'.
Can you elaborate on this statement? Thanks!
Close; try "being accused of sexual harassment or even rape by a disgruntled female." If a female private/ specialist/ NCO accuses anyone under the rank of bull Colonel of pretty much ANYTHING he is "guilty" until he can absolutely prove his innocence.
That's why most walk on egg-shells around females in uniform. If you p|ss off a vindictive one you are toast.
Just the accusation will pretty much do you in.
2. The problem was that the directive was not clear in it's intent. Fault the person who drew it up, not the WMs. A fact of life is that lipstick is an important part of the American female's appearance, even WMs. Another fact of life is that American servicemen complain. This seemed a legitimate complaint to me.
3. The jerks on this thread that insult our country's WMs are despicable goons.
4. God bless these fine ladies that serve our country.
"The only way you can truely understand the true meaning of 'OOOORAAAGH!' is to spend 13 weeks in boot camp, get a chill when someone mentions 'the Pit', and find the first hour of Full Metal Jacket hysterically funny."
"OO-RAH!" is the cry of a highly motivated Marine. It comes from the Russian "Urrah!" which, freely translated, means "Kill the SOBs!" and is a hallmark of the Russian military of many centuries' standing.
2. The problem was that the directive was not clear in it's intent. Fault the person who drew it up, not the WMs. A fact of life is that lipstick is an important part of the American female's appearance, even WMs. Another fact of life is that American servicemen complain. This seemed a legitimate complaint to me.
We are faulting the whining and complaining about an issued directive. Somewhere after I left the USMC ten years ago, it apparently became a democracy. This presages the end of the USMC as a fighting organization, as militarily effective units tend to be authoritarian hierarchies.
3. The jerks on this thread that insult our country's WMs are despicable goons.
I concur. However, I believe that the WMs who set up a crybaby campaign are model Marines. (I use "model" in the sense of "a small imitation of the real thing.")
4. God bless these fine ladies that serve our country.
If you're referring to those who agree with the Master Sergeant mentioned at the end of the piece, I concur. If you're referring to all of them, I hope that God grants them the wisdom to see the error of their ways and thus help them be better Marines.
You're right; the first hour was a laugh riot.
I will start respecting female service members when they are required to perform their jobs in the same manner as expected of male service members ... PT test results, strength requirements, appearance, weight control limits, etc, etc, etc. The ones who should be complaining are the men; the exceptions are all made for the females.
I submit that the WMs know who they are, and bitch equally about the wMs.
Capitol and lowercase; respectively.
I'm sorry but this brings a bad visual:
picture a Marine seargant yelling: LET'S TAKE THIS HILL!!!
And from somewhere along the front line is heard:
Wait! I've got to fix my lipstick first!....
Since I've not spent 13 weeks in bootcamp, am clueless as to what "the Pit" is, and never saw that movie, I'll take you at your word. It just sounds a tad dippy to me. Sorry.
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