Army launches survey into whether male soldiers can wear make-up: 'Unlikely to deter Russia!’

The review, which chiefs have insisted was not “official”, was nevertheless distributed to troops on Thursday from Army headquarters in Andover.

Under current regulations, female soldiers may apply inconspicuous make-up following training, including natural eyelash extensions and nail polish in muted tones.

Male personnel, however, are prohibited from wearing cosmetics and must maintain short hair that does not extend to the collar or cover the ears.

The proposed gender-neutral approach, which was reported by the Mail on Sunday, would permit men to adopt longer hairstyles, hair extensions, painted nails, earrings and cosmetics on the same basis as their female counterparts.

Guidelines for facial aesthetics procedures and recovery periods following tattoos and piercings were also included in the consultation.

Former Army Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford slammed the “absolutely ridiculous suggestion” and called on defence chiefs to “snuff it out”.

He told GB News such moves left the armed forces open to more “deserved mockery”.

“Let’s hope we hear no more of it.”

Shadow Defence Minister Mark Francois was similarly unimpressed and questioned the timing of the consultation.

"Upgrading to mascara from camouflage cream is hardly likely to deter Putin," he said.

The possibility of permitting male soldiers to wear cosmetics was also raised in 2019.

Then Defence Secretary Ben Wallace indicated any such allowance would need to be restricted to camouflage colours.

The most recent adjustment to Army appearance policy came in 2024, when a century-old ban on beards was overturned.

Responding to news of the review emerging, an Army spokesman rejected suggestions that the questionnaire represented official policy.

"As the Chief of the General Staff has said, the Army is focused on enhancing our lethality and fighting readiness," they said.

“There are no plans to change policy – and this was not an official Army survey."

It would not be the first time investigations into a gender-neutral approach were entertained in the forces. In 2017, personnel were instructed to avoid gender-focused phrases such as “best man for the job”.

Meanwhile, GB News revealed last month that hopeful recruits across the armed forces are being turned away for spurious reasons including childhood injuries, lactose intollerance and back acne.

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