S’poreans school man who called hairstyles of navy crew unprofessional

SINGAPORE: After a man shared a picture of members of the Singapore Navy in a complaint group on social media and called their hairstyles “unprofessional,” others voiced their disagreement, saying they could see nothing wrong with the men and women in the photo.

On the Complaint Singapore Facebook page on Thursday (Nov 22), a group member re-posted a recent photo from a post by the Republic of Singapore Navy.

The post was about the Keel Laying Ceremony for the Navy’s first Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV) at ST Engineering Marine Limited. The Navy called it a significant milestone for the MRCV project, which is expected to be launched in 2028.

The photo in question showed members of the 8th Flotilla HQ, which the Navy stated will be responsible for operationalising MRCVs in the future. 

In the photo, an older officer appeared to be explaining something to three young men, who sported short haircuts, and two young women, who both had their hair in ponytails.

It is unclear what exactly the post author found objectionable about them.

Commenters on his post, however, were quick to defend the flotilla members in the photo.

One woman, who said she saw nothing wrong with the hairstyles of the people in the picture, asked the post author what was so problematic about it.

A group member pointed out the irrelevance of the post author’s concern, saying that wars are not won by hairstyles.

“At least they are the ones who make sure Singapore stays safe, “ another chimed in.

One called the post author out for being so judgmental, while others wondered what the hairstyles had to do with anything, as it does not affect the people’s work.

Some wondered if the post author wanted to see the women cut their hair really short, as required by other countries.

According to the website of the Ministry of Defence, servicewomen should wear their hair “neatly,” so it does not interfere with wearing their headdress.

If they have short hair, it should not go lower than the lower fold of their collar, and if they have long hair, they should wear it braided, in a ponytail, or in a bun.

They are allowed to colour their hair as long as it looks natural and wear accessories as long as they are inconspicuous.

The featured photo is from Freepik and is for illustration purposes only. /TISG

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