No beards for Marines outside of medical waivers

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The Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Eric Smith, declared that there would be no beards for Marines outside of medical waivers. Smith argued that Marines have a standard and a brand. There is a medical waiver for pseudofolliculitis barbae. Without the conditions needed for the medical waiver, Marines won’t be able to obtain a waiver simply for fashion purposes.

From Task & Purpose

When asked on Wednesday if he could foresee any circumstances in the coming years under which Marines would be allowed to grow beards, Smith replied with a definitive “No.”

“Because we’re Marines and we’re different,” Smith told reporters at a Defense Writers Group event, which is based at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

“The Marine Corps has a brand, and we’re making our recruiting mission,” Smith continued. “We’ve always made our recruiting mission, and what we don’t want to do is tinker with the ethos of the Marine Corps — you joined us, we didn’t join you. You knew that coming in. You signed up. We don’t have beards, and you knew that coming in.”

The Corps currently has a waiver process for Marines with pseudofolliculitis barbae, a painful condition known as “razor bumps” in which facial hair curves back into the skin, causing inflammation. The condition, which is exacerbated by shaving, is a common problem in up to 60% of Black men, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.

“That’s a medical waiver, not a fashion waiver,” Smith told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast “It’s not a ‘well, I decided I wanted to;’ it’s a medical waiver that’s for pseudofolliculitis barbae.”

Additional Reading:

Schogol, J. (2025, January 15). Top Marine general rules out beards ‘because we’re Marines and we’re different’. Task & Purpose. Link.

Category: Marine Corps, Marines