Like every other country, the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, have strict rules on grooming.
The hair is not allowed to touch their uniform or shirt color.
Female soldiers can keep long hair as long as they are tied into a neat knot or braided.
Soldiers with short cropped hair stand in formation.
These tiny creepers cant hide in short hair.
Another reason is uniformity, which is actually a big deal for the military.
Same uniform, same boots, same watches, same haircut.
Army hair wasnt always short.
In the olden days, it was cool to have long hair.
Many heroes in Greek mythology are depicted with long hair.
Long hair fell out of fashion in the 1800s and was replaced by glorious moustaches and sideburns.
Facial hairs from the American Civil War.
In fact, the term sideburns come from Mr. Burnsides title.
In 1967, a young man named Albrecht Schmeissnerwalked into theBundeswehrs recruitment office with a long, flowing mane.
But Schmeissner protested claiming that it was his constitutional right to grow hair.
His defiance lasted 45 days.
Albrecht Schmeissners brief act of rebellion stirred something in the upper ranks of the Bundeswehr.
A long-haired soldier of the Bundeswehr.
Photo credit: Spiegel Online
The new rule drew incredible flak from both inside and outside of Germany.
The Bundeswehr also started having problems with the hairnets.
Some soldiers became worried that wearing the nets for extended periods of time could be damaging to their health.
To allay those fears, the Bundeswehr appointed a team of doctors and asked them to investigate the issue.
The doctors stated that during combat it would be impossible to care for long manes and maintain hygiene.
Photo credit: Spiegel Online
The investigating commission also found problems with facial hair.
Soldiers in combat duty often suffered from irregular bowel movement which caused many soldiers to experience outbreaks of acne.
Having long beards made the problem worse.
All this would would put a strain on military budgets.
The Hairnet Decree was eventually repealed fifteen months after the order was passed.
This regulation has remained essentially unchanged for nearly fifty years.
A Bundeswehr soldier wearing a hair net.
Photo credit: Spiegel Online
A Bundeswehr soldier putting on a hair net.
Photo credit: Spiegel Online
