The Navy announced a sweeping range of uniform and personal appearance policy updates on Wednesday – including reinstating the female bucket cover and allowing sailors to place their hands in their pockets.
The changes are the largest series of Navy uniform and grooming reforms since December 2022, when the service announced the introduction of a new, lightweight safety boot and modifications to the maternity service dress blue coat.
The policy update rescinds restrictions barring sailors from placing their hands in their pockets, which the Navy previously claimed is “inappropriate and detracts from a professional military appearance.”
“Sailors are authorized to have hands in their pockets when doing so does not compromise safety nor prohibit the proper rendering of honors and courtesies,” the NAVADMIN said.
The Navy retired the female combination cover, known as the bucket cover, in 2018. But the service is now permitting all sailors to wear the cover with service dress and dinner dress uniforms, according to a new naval administrative message, or NAVADMIN, released Wednesday. Female officers and chief petty officers are also authorized to wear the cover with service khaki and summer white uniforms.
Sailors cannot purchase the bucket cover from Navy Exchange uniform stores, and must instead privately obtain one for wear.
Additionally, the Navy is allowing female sailors to wear the tiara as an optional uniform component when wearing dinner dress blue and white jacket uniforms. Sailors may purchase the tiara from the Navy Exchange online as a special order item.
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The policy also offers modifications to fitness attire, allowing sailors to wear black or navy blue leggings with the physical training uniform shorts and fitness suit pants.
Likewise, female sailors may now wear t-shirts specifically designed for women, so long as the shirts adhere to the Navy’s color, fabric, and neck configuration standards.
“The intent of this policy update is to address expressed dissatisfaction regarding the required wear of male or unisex t-shirts that are not designed to fit female bodies,” the NAVADMIN said.
Sailors may also wear false eyelashes or eyelash extensions in uniform – provided they are no more than “14 millimeters in length as measured from the eyelid to the tip of the eyelash.”
“False eyelash color will match the color of the natural eyelash,” the NAVADMIN said. “Eyelash extensions cannot hinder wear of protective eyewear.”
The policy changes take effect immediately.
