Annapolis, Maryland, is a Navy town through and through. Home of the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis’ iconography would be incomplete without images of midshipmen walking down Main Street in their summer whites or service dress blue uniforms. Male midshipmen are often stopped on the street for photos with tourists looking for that classic Navy look. Female midshipmen, not so much.
The Naval Academy differs from other naval commands in the frequency that its members wear uniforms, particularly service dress uniforms. For example, plebes must always wear an issued uniform for the entire year. Plebes and youngsters (sophomores) are required to wear their dress uniforms while out in town. There are even parts of the Yard (campus) where one cannot walk unless in uniform.
Frequent uniform wear at the Academy is a greater burden on women than men. Female midshipmen are being misgendered on the Yard and in town because their uniforms are not designed for a feminine figure. The number of times I have been called “sir” while out in town or one of the “gentlemen” when walking with a group of male midshipmen exceeds my fingers on both hands.
More egregiously, male midshipmen make fun of female midshipmen, especially those in positions of power, based on how they look in uniform. Either they look too much like a man or look like they are pregnant. Women cannot win. With the large amount of time midshipmen spend in uniform, why are female midshipmen still waiting for more flattering uniforms? Women at the Naval Academy, especially those in visible leadership positions, are in desperate need of functional, feminine uniforms.
The History
The first female midshipmen entered the Naval Academy in 1976 as members of the class of 1980. In photographs, these midshipmen are clearly wearing ill-fitting men’s uniforms not designed for their bodies. Forty years later, female midshipmen do not look much different. Working blues, the daily working uniform for midshipmen, consists of a summer white style outfit in a dark navy hue. This uniform is notoriously unflattering for female midshipmen. An issued “men’s style” pant for women features two small front pockets, a pleated backside with no pockets, and a huge fly that rises past the wearer’s natural waist and creates an uncomplimentary bulge when standing or sitting. The phased out “female” trouser featured a side zip that was much more complimentary to the female figure but only had two tiny front pockets barely big enough for an identification card. Why does the Naval Academy feel the need to sacrifice functionality for femininity in uniform? The summer whites, service dress blue, and khaki uniforms have similar problems for women. If the Navy is going to make “male” style clothing for women, then it should at least keep these uniforms functional.
In 2015, then–Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus directed reforms to make uniforms more gender neutral. These included the new female enlisted crackerjack uniforms and officer service dress whites, and the retirement of the beloved female bucket cover. These were changes that many women in the Navy did not want. According to a 2017 Task and Purpose article, Mabus dismissed female sailors’ ideas about uniform changes, particularly those implementing better fitting alternatives to preexisting uniforms. While female enlisted sailors were given a stipend to cover these uniform changes, female officers were forced to pay out of pocket. Mabus used female Naval Academy midshipmen to test many of his uniform ideas beginning in 2013. Since then, female midshipmen have been issued most of these gender-neutral uniforms.
However, in the fleet, Mabus faced stiff opposition from female sailors, officers, and Congress with implementing these changes. In 2017, Congress pushed back the deadlines for Navy servicemembers to purchase of these uniforms, allowing women to keep some aspects of their beloved uniform items. However, many questioned how some of these changes were implemented quickly while others, such as the cry for better pants, were ignored. Overall, Secretary Mabus’ goal of a gender-neutral Navy uniform went unrealized, but the effort left women with even more detested uniform articles.
When the first women were commissioned into the Naval Reserve under the Women Accepted for Volunteer Armed Services (WAVES) program, greater care was taken in designing female uniforms. Under the WAVES first director, then–Lieutenant Commander Mildred McAfee Horton, the president of the all-female Wellesley college on sabbatical to serve, the uniform was designed by renowned American couture Mainbocher, headed by famous fashion designer Main Bocher. These chic, trendy, and high-class uniforms turned heads in the female fashion scene, a far cry from female uniforms today. The headline of an article in the New York Herald Tribune from August 1942 reads, “The Waves’ Uniforms: Womanly, Workmanly.” This is not what most female Navy members desire today in a uniform. We want a uniform that is functional and professional, not just feminine. The Navy needs to find a middle ground between semi-functional gender-neutral uniforms and frilly fashionable ones.
The Confidence Factor
I will be the first to admit that having an unflattering uniform was one of the last things on my mind during plebe year. I had much more pressing issues between school, sports, military obligations, and pleasing my upperclassmen. Despite being in great physical shape after plebe summer, the uniforms made me look frumpy and unkempt. I thought it was just part of the process; that I needed to not look like the best version of myself to be a good midshipman. I realize now that this is not the mentality the Navy should want for young women training to be leaders. Having a flattering uniform is about confidence. I want to be the most presentable version of myself while training plebes or leading a division in the fleet.
This is not the first time female uniform discrepancies have been featured in Proceedings. During my research, I found many articles written about this topic, most recently in 2018. However, no action has been taken. The real issue is the way professionalism is characterized in the Sea Services. “Gender neutral” as a professional uniform principle is idealized as male. We have all heard that appearance matters, whether with trying to impress a superior or working with subordinates, but this is only for masculine attributes. Imagine if men were forced to wear tailored skirts, panty hose, and heels to achieve a certain level of professionalism demanded by their job. This is what the current uniform regulations demand of women. The move toward gender-neutral uniforms discriminates against women. Forcing women to cross-dress as men is not a gender-neutral option. The Navy should recognize the differences between the male and female figure and reflect that in its uniforms—especially dress uniforms.
The Naval Academy has taken steps in creating a more inclusive environment for women in the past few years. My plebe summer was the first time the Academy allowed more diverse hair styles to accommodate women of color. The Academy has also established a uniform board to resolve some of the aforementioned problems. However, this board is not for uniform design, but rather for using plebe summer to determine what uniform items are no longer needed and what uniform discrepancies exist in Midshipman Regulations. In the two years since the board’s creation, I have not seen any changes. The Academy owes its female midshipmen a functionally feminine uniform.
Much of this uniform mess could have been avoided if senior leaders had agreed to female sailors’ and officers’ requests instead of moving toward gender-neutral uniforms. In offering a variety of pants designed for different figures, women could find a pair that suits them best. This has been a solution at civilian clothing stores that offer “curvy” jeans to recognize the difference in female bodies while allowing the wearer to feel confident in their appearance.
The real solution to this issue is choice, the choice to choose what makes women—and men—feel most confident. Just as there are many different options for female civilians to dress professionally, there are a myriad of styles that the Navy could pursue. This is true regardless of gender. Women in the civilian business sector can dress in a functional, feminine, and professional way that does not undermine their authority or professional respect. With an increasingly diverse armed forces, it is about time senior leaders recognize that being in uniform is not synonymous with being uniform.
