Uniforms are common for many schools, jobs, and teams. A uniform can be for safety reasons or simply to make sure everyone looks similar.

The United States military branches all have uniforms that their servicemen and women are required to wear, but unless you’ve been in the military, you may not know that the dress code goes way beyond the uniform. The military branches dictate how the members can wear their hair, what tattoos they can and cannot have and if it’s okay to wear fingernail polish.

Some branches of the military are stricter than others. For example, all branches of the military have modified the dress code to allow women to wear ponytails except for one – the marines.

The dress code for marines is very strict, so strict in fact that until recently it technically wasn’t allowed for marines to wear black socks with their uniform. They had to choose from colors called olive drab (olive green) or coyote (khaki brown). Now, in very exciting news for marines, they are officially allowed to wear black socks.

While wearing black socks may not be exciting to many people, it is something to be excited about if you’ve been secretly trying to get away with wearing black socks for awhile now, and many marines have. After all, their boots are black, so it makes sense, right?

For female marines, there are other changes to the dress code to be excited about. No, ponytails are not allowed, but fingernail polish is. According to the official marine corp grooming standards, “When worn, nail polish must be in shades of red (within the red spectrum, to include pinks and burgundies) and must complement the skin tone. Fingernails with multiple colors and decorative ornamentation are prohibited.” Previously, female marines were only allowed to wear nude colored nail polish or nail polish that was similar to their skin tone. Male marines are not allowed to wear nail polish.

Another much needed change for women was announced – updated maternity uniforms. These uniforms will include side tabs to provide a better fitting uniform. In addition, there is a nursing undershirt designed to make nursing easier for new moms.

Do you know anyone who is in the marines? Did you know that the dress code was so strict for the marines? What color nail polish do you usually wear?

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