Dermatologists say Marines’ tightened shaving waiver could hurt Black members’ careers
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on May 25, 2025
Air Force veteran Ed Anderson can’t recall any time past puberty when he didn’t get razor bumps after shaving his face. His coarse facial hair would often cause painful inflammation and itchy bumps as it grew back.
Anderson, now 70, remembers requesting a shaving waiver when he entered the service in 1975, allowing him to bypass the military’s requirements for men to be clean-shaven. For him and other Black airmen, the waivers became a symbol of unity.
“It was seen as an . . .
