: The US Army is about to introduce new grooming standards. Allowed: wearing a cell phone or pager as long as it is black, baldness (for men only, natural or shaved), braids or cornrows (female only), hair extensions (female only, and only if pinned up as natural long hair must be), dyed hair (only if the color appears natural on the individual soldier, which would prevent African-American women from wearing blonde or platinum hair), nail polish (for women only, and only in muted natural colors), false fingernails (no more than 1/4 inch beyond the fingertip and only for women). Not allowed: dreadlocks, unnatural hair colors (purple, green, red, neon, orange, etc.), colored contact lenses different from the soldier's own eyes, umbrellas (formerly allowed for female officers, but no more), two-tone or decorative nail polish, and wearing a cell phone and pager at the same time.--Stephen V Cole