Why don't women have to shave their heads in basic training?

Men have had to get their heads shaved during basic military training for decades -- so long that it's become almost a rite of passage (even though the original reason for doing it isn't as worrisome as it used to be, the tradition continues).

So, a reader asks, why don't women have to do the same? There are several reasons. The first has to do with military regulations. Just like there's an app for everything a civilian could possibly think of, there's a reg that answers nearly any question military personnel could have.

Army regulations, for example, stipulate that a woman actually can't shave her head. Shaved styles are considered trendy -- a big no-no in the stylishly conservative and highly restricted world of the military.

But a better question is why did men have to start shaving their heads in the first place? And what changed that allowed women not to have to follow suit? For that answer, watch the video.

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