As much as I love the idea of shaving my face with a razor, I almost never do because the hair that grows back in invariably curls into my skin and causes painful bumps. And then I can’t shave
(1/7)
#blackmen #the78percent #blackpeople #blackamerican #whitepeople #blacksoldiers #blackmastodon
without slicing into those bumps. Anybody who shaves can get razor bumps, but the American College of Osteopathic Dermatology says that pseudofolliculitis barbae occurs in up to 60% of African American men. An article in American Family Physician says the incidence is
(2/7)
as high as 85%.
A military dermatologist who spoke to Military.com said Black service members are about 15% of active-duty military but that “66% of shaving waiver holders are Black.”
The Marines claims the interim guidance is about upholding
(3/7)
“standards of readiness, discipline and lethality,” but “separating” men with razor bumps would seem guaranteed to make the Marines weaker, not stronger.
In July 2021, the Journal of Military Medicine published a study that found “a
(4/7)
significant association between shaving waivers and delays in promotion.” In October 2021, two dermatologists on active duty in the Air Force wrote a letter to the Air Force Times in response. “Contrary to the belief of some, PFB is often not manageable with
(5/7)
anything other than a shaving profile allowing for just a short amount of hair growth,” wrote Lt. Col. Simon Ritchie and Lt. Col. Thomas Beachkofsky. “The notion that these members simply need to learn how to shave the right way is factually incorrect and contradicts what
(6/7)
we, as dermatologists, know about this condition.”
It’s bad enough that Black service members have been denied promotions because close shaves are bad for them. It’s infinitely worse that the Marines is considering kicking out people with razor bumps
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-dei-black-marines-military-rcna197570
(7/7)
Audubon Ballroon (he/him)